Remember

Episode Three: Points of View

Chapter Four

"...You're late. Did something happen?"

"Yes, my father caught me. Sneaking out of the castle wasn't easy after that."

"I was worried you wouldn't come…"

Timpani stood in front of Blumiere on top of the meadow hill. The sun was already below the horizon, though the sky was still bright. Her blue eyes sparked with a nervous sort of curiosity.

"Don't worry about me, Timpani," Blumiere urged.

"But I do," she sighed, wringing her hands together. "You haven't told me much about your father, Blumiere, but… it seems you fear him. And tonight- he caught you? What does that mean, Blumiere? That you were running away? That you have to escape without him knowing?"

Blumiere was jolted by the intensity of her words. "Well, it's.."

"I'm glad you came back, Blumiere. I'm just worried, is all."

"I'm sorry."

Timpani's smile was a melancholic one. "I'm sorry you have to put so much at risk by meeting me."

The blue-faced man sat on the chilled grass and beckoned for Timpani to sit beside him. "My father is a strict man," he began, "but I know it's fear that fuels his actions. When I lost my mother, he changed. No longer were you humans, but monsters, monsters that could attack and take away his family at any moment. He became afraid of you, and he still is. I don't want him to worry about me, which is why I must leave without his permission."

Timpani leaned in closer until she was resting her head on his shoulder. "Does he know you've gone out before?"

He swallowed and nodded.

"Was he upset when he found out?"

"That doesn't matter now, Timpani. I'm here, and that's all that I care about."

"I'm glad of that. Just-"

"I'll be careful, I promise."

Timpani giggled and turned her head so she could look at Blumiere. "Good. But if it gets too dangerous for you to come back… well, wait until it's not dangerous. We must keep meeting!" She offered him a silly grin and he laughed.

"Nothing could stop me from seeing you…"

He leaned his head until it was resting on top of her head. They sat in blissful silence for a few moments.

I truly enjoy her company, Blumiere thought. I've never been happier.

"Look at the sunset, Blumiere," Timpani whispered in awe, breaking the silence. The sun's rays were dying down, but in its wake, it left a rainbow of beams that melted across the sky. Blumiere followed them across the horizon.

"Beautiful," he murmured.

"And look at how they blend together over there," Timpani pointed to a spot along the horizon, almost opposite the sun. "That pattern is even prettier. I don't think I've ever noticed that before."

In the direction Timpani indicated, the colors were a bit different from the spectrum of rays where the sun was setting. On the horizon line was a deep navy blue, followed by a thin line of magenta and then a subdued peach. It gradually grew lighter, fading into white, which was followed by another layer of blue that stretched to the top of the sky.

"I've never taken notice of the colors in the sky before," Blumiere mused. "When the sun sets, they're always changing. Even now, that pattern you pointed out is almost completely blue."

"Blink and you'd miss it," Timpani grinned.

"Let's look for it every night. Maybe we can use those colors to chose when to meet instead of the sunset."

"Clever," Timpani nodded. "If your father begins to think that you're leaving routinely, he'd never suspect it would be at a time like that. And it's right after sunset, too, so it wouldn't be too much longer to wait."

"So it's settled then? Every night, when the sunset creates that pattern across the meadow, we'll meet."

"Every night?"

Blumiere hesitated. What if he couldn't get out? Or what if his father caught him, and did something worse to him than confining him to his room? "Well, it's just like you said: blink and you'd miss it. If the colors pass and I've not appeared yet, assume I won't be coming at all. I won't come before or after."

Timpani turned her head so she could look at him and half-smiled.

"...I'll try and get out as often as possible."

"I'm glad."

They shared a laugh and fell silent again. Blumiere closed his eyes, enjoying the peaceful company of the blue-eyed woman. Timpani, on the other hand, continued to watch Blumiere, unable to contain a smile. Their hands were centimeters apart, and, giving in to an inexplicable urge, Timpani moved hers over and placed it on top of Blumiere's.

"Mm?" The Tribesman opened his eyes and blinked at her. "Yes?"

"Oh. Nothing." Timpani did not move her hand.

Heart fluttering, Blumiere cleared his throat and closed his eyes again. The touch of Timpani's hand awoke something inside of him, a pulsating warmth that made him feel something that was best described as wobbly. He knew he could sit like this with her for eternity.

She's perfect.

From behind a cloak of invisibility, Dimentio watched the unusual couple. They leaned closely together, hands intertwined, a match made by the stars themselves. Like my own parents, at one point, perhaps, he mused. Before they were plagued with a child.

Hovering closer, he felt the urge to shove them, or scream, or do something to disturb their peace. But he had a job to do, and that job required him to remain unseen.

He hasn't said a word about mother yet. He hasn't said much of anything at all. Dimentio doubted his cousin would ever touch on the matter. And he didn't want to stay any longer; they were getting too close. Backing away to a safe distance, Dimentio teleported away, leaving behind a faint wave of distortion.

Aldrik was waiting for him in the large room they shared. Or rather, the room that belonged to Aldrik and that Dimentio occasionally occupied. Octagonal in shape, the bedroom held a king-sized bed, a grand chest of drawers and wardrobe, both of dark stained wood. There was also a bookshelf and a desk pushed to one of the eight sides. All of this was plenty for them to share, but Dimentio was not allowed in it very often, for fear of being discovered. He ate his meals in the darkness of the wardrobe and slept on the castle's roof. His invisibility was helpful at all other times, but he could not make other objects invisible, and though his body was transparent, it was still tangible.

It was late now, and unlikely that anyone would be entering the room unprovoked, so Dimentio made himself known by retracting his invisibility and whispering, "Father, I—"

Aldrik shook his head and held a finger to his lips, then, with both palms facing downward, he moved his hands to his sides in a sweeping movement.

"Silence."

Dimentio made several signs of his own. "It's late. What's wrong?"

"The King could be listening."

The motley-clad boy reached out for his uncle's signature. "He's not here now."

"We can't risk it. Where is he?"

"With the girl."

Aldrik's face fell. "He's not going to look for your mother."

Dimentio shook his head. "He's just like you."

The magician narrowed his eyes at his son and raised a hand to the side of his head. "Leave me."

Dimentio teleported away. He wouldn't see his father again until seven o'clock the next morning when his existence would be cloaked once more.

"We should find Ronan and Mimi before dark."

"Oh!" Blumiere pulled away from Timpani and stood up. "Of course! I meant to ask, what did you find out about Mimi?"

"It's as I suspected," Timpani took Blumiere's hand and let him help her to her feet. "Mimi cannot shapeshift into someone who is dead."

"And the girl she was using as her disguise died recently, correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you recall how she died?"

Timpani started for the direction of Ronan's house. "I believe it was a sickness. It started small and got worse and worse over time. No one could find a cure."

"Did anyone else contract the sickness?"

"Not that I know of."

Blumiere put a hand to his chin. "And Mimi wasn't affected by the sickness."

"There are many things about her ability that she does not understand. I wish there was a way we could perform some tests, but I don't have much time. I work during the day, and at night…" She grinned at Blumiere.

"Perhaps once we've found her a new disguise we can take some time to learn the extent of her ability." He returned the smile with one of his own.

Timpani giggled and reached for his hand, intertwining her fingers with Blumiere's. "C'mon!" she said, picking up the pace. "If we don't hurry, we won't make it before dark!"

"Woah!" Blumiere nearly stumbled as he tried to keep up with her, then righted himself and burst into laughter, following her lead across the grassy field.

By the time the couple reached the small home in the woods, stars were beginning to dot the sky. Only Mimi was waiting outside.

"Blue!" The green-skinned girl exclaimed, rushing forward to give him a hug. "You're okay!"

"And so are you," Blumiere said. "I'm glad to see you again. Er, where's Ronan?"

"He and his nanna are at the festival already!"

Blumiere released Mimi from the hug and stood up straight. "The… festival…?" he murmured.

"The Summer Festival is tonight!" Timpani's eyes sparkled. "Oh, it will be wonderful, Blumiere! I'm sure you'll love it!"

"And there will be plenty of people, so I'm sure we'll find a new girl for me to turn into!"

Blumiere didn't seem to hear Timpani or Mimi's comments. He was staring off into the distance with glazed eyes and a frown on his lips. A festival… Just like… the ones mother used to go to…

"Do you actually think your mother interacted with any of the humans she saw?" He winced as he recalled his father's words. "She stayed hidden and watched the humans from a distance, and the day they found her, they killed her!"

"I don't think I should go…" He whispered.

Timpani immediately understood. "It's dark enough, Blumiere. They won't notice your skin color."

He shuddered. "I'm not so sure…" But Timpani intertwined her fingers with his once again and squeezed his hand.

"I won't make you come with, Blumiere. I can understand why you're afraid." She met his uncertain gaze and offered a smile.

Mother watched the humans from a distance… How exactly do you know that, father? Did she tell you? Did she tell you vivid stories about her visits like she told me? Blumiere set his jaw. And I'm sure she had friends, too! How could you know that she didn't? Timpani's proof that humans can be friendly!

"No, I'll come. Mimi will need the extra help, anyway." He smiled at the girl and she clapped her hands.

"Yay! Blue's coming to the festival!" She took off in the direction of the town, giggling.

"You're shaking," Timpani squeezed Blumiere's hand again. "If you ever feel like you should leave, feel free. Or if you'd like to watch from a distance—"

"No," Blumiere shook his head. "S-sorry, no, I can… I can do this."

Timpani smirked at him. "I'm glad. We'll get to spend more time together!"

That was something he was looking forward to. Any time together with Timpani was time well spent. "Yes. Shall we get going?"

The caramel-haired woman laughed and skipped after Mimi, leading a nervous Blumiere behind her.

The Summer Festival was well underway by the time they arrived. Brilliant lights of red and gold were strung across the Town Square, lighting up the now-black sky. Flutes, drums, and fiddles were played together in a tune that a large group of humans were dancing to, and some were even singing along. The air was filled with the scent of baked goods and something Blumiere was unfamiliar with that smelled like warm apples. He noticed a few men drinking large cups full of what he assumed was the apple drink.

"Is that alcohol?" he whispered to Timpani.

"No!" Timpani giggled and elbowed him playfully. "It's cider! You've never had apple cider before?"

He shook his head.

"Well, you ought to! I'll go get a few cups for us." As Timpani vanished, Blumiere glanced at Mimi, who was scanning the crowd. He noticed she was wearing a large sweater with a hood she'd pulled over her head. When she hid her hands in the pockets, no one could tell she was any different from the rest. I wonder if Timpani has a sweater I could borrow. The thought made him chuckle.

"All of the girls I can see are dumb and ugly. I want to look pretty!" Mimi pouted.

Blumiere raised an eyebrow. "That's a tall order from someone who needs this disguise to stay safe. You ought to take what you can get, Mimi."

"But Melody was so perfect," she sighed. "I don't want just any other girl… I want someone perfect!"

"Keep looking then," Blumiere shrugged. "But if it comes down to being safe or being 'imperfect,' you can't be picky."

"Yeah, I know," Mimi brushed him off with an eyeroll. Blumiere narrowed his eyes but said nothing else.

I didn't know she had such an attitude! I suppose without any parents to teach her how to behave, she wouldn't know any better…

Timpani returned, expertly holding three cups of cider in her hands. She offered the smallest one to Mimi, who took it eagerly and gave the second cup to Blumiere. "Careful, it's hot," she warned.

He blew the steam off of the cider and took a small sip. It tasted just as he'd suspected, like warm apples. "Mm. It's delicious!"

"It's even better in the wintertime. Perhaps you could come to the Winter Festival too!"

"Perhaps," Blumiere nodded. So far, he was enjoying himself.

"'Ey!" Ronan emerged from the crowd and approached them, grinning widely. "Blue's back! An' Mimi, yeh made it to the festival!"

"I did! Where's your nanna?"

"Oh, I told her I was goin' teh find some friends. Not a lie!" Ronan and Mimi shared a laugh. The orange-haired boy turned his attention back to Blumiere. "I'm surprised you came."

"Me too," Blumiere chuckled. "But we've stayed out of sight so far." They'd barely left the treeline.

"There are some really fun games! I wish yeh could play them, too, Blue…" Ronan trailed off.

Blumiere shrugged. "I don't mind. You and Mimi can play them together, and I can wait here, with Timpani." She smiled at him from behind her cup of cider.

"Okay!" Mimi chirped, and Ronan nodded. The children took off, starting a race towards a nearby stand.

Now that they were alone again, Blumiere and Timpani settled down on a bench that was covered in shadows by a tree that grew overhead. Blumiere kept his head down, trying his best not to draw attention to himself.

"Just wait until the fire dance," Timpani said, brimming with excitement. "Oh, you'll love it. And they turn off the lights, too, so we can sit closer and watch."

"There's a fire dancer?" That sounds dangerous.

"Not just one. Ten of them. It's spectacular, Blumiere, just wait until you see it."

The blue-skinned man couldn't hold back a laugh. Her eyes are shining. And her smile is so beautiful… Catching himself staring at her, he turned away and cleared his throat. "It must really be wonderful, then."

"Indeed," Timpani whispered, leaning her head on Blumiere's shoulder.

"You're not tired, are you?" his eyes widened. It would be a shame if she fell asleep before the dance!

"Oh, no." He caught her giggling and wondered what could be so funny.

"Timpani?"

"Yes, Blumiere?"

"You… You're a good friend, Timpani."

"You're more than a good friend to me, Blumiere."

"Oh?" His heartbeat quickened.

"You're my best friend."

Blumiere rested his head on top of hers. "You're my best friend, too."

"Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?" Mimi's cheerful voice broke through the peacefulness of Blumiere and Timpani's conversation, and both of their heads shot up at once.

"What?" Timpani asked.

"O'Chunks won a prize! He's super good at the ring toss game!"

Ronan appeared, lugging an enormous teddy bear behind him.

Blumiere's jaw dropped. "My goodness! It's as big as you!" He looked from Ronan to Timpani and back to the bear. "I had no idea such a thing existed."

"You don't know about a lot o' stuff, Blue," Ronan quipped innocently. "Cuz yeh lived in that castle yer whole life."

Blumiere put a finger to his lips and glanced around at the passersby. None of them were paying any attention, thankfully. "Yes, well… I suppose you're right."

"Don't worry," Timpani patted his shoulder. "You'll learn about plenty of things if you keep coming to visit!"

"As I intend to do," Blumiere nodded. "I'll come back as often as possible. It's much more fun here than it is at home." Especially while I'm supposed to be stuck in my room.

"Yay!" Mimi cheered, clapping her hands together. Her enthusiasm was cut short, however, as a nearby string of lights went out. One by one, the rest of the lights in the Square were snuffed out.

"The fire dance is about to start!" Timpani stood up and pulled Blumiere to his feet. By now, the only light remaining was a glowing red orb on a stage in the center of the Square. Timpani's skin looked just as dark as Blumiere's. "Let's go!" she urged. "Let's sit a little closer!"

He allowed her to lead him towards a blanket on the ground not far from the stage. There were several blankets on the ground, mostly occupied by children, with a few adults here and there, though most of the older humans were standing. With Ronan and Mimi nearby, Blumiere and Timpani could pass off as parents.

The tribesman fidgeted. "We're very close," he whispered. The glow of the stage light was preventing total darkness from cloaking him.

"They'll turn that light off soon," she assured him.

Sure enough, once everyone was seated, the red orb was carried off of the stage and snuffed out. Now in pitch darkness, Blumiere was able to relax… that is until Timpani nudged him in the side.

"Blumiere, your eyes!" she breathed, and immediately he knew what she was talking about.

How could I have forgotten?!

Like the other members of the Tribe of Darkness, Blumiere's eyes glowed softly in the darkness. It wasn't very noticeable, but when there was no other light source around, it would be easy for him to be spotted. He squeezed his eyes shut—and then reopened them when a blaze of light flashed across his eyelids.

A man in a silver suit had stepped onto the stage, wielding two torches that were alight with fire. Without any introduction, nine other men and women stepped onto the stage, forming a 'V'. On the leader's signal, the group began an elaborate dance, waving their torches in patterns that left streaks across the sky, and sometimes even throwing the torches at another dancer or juggling them. While Timpani stared in awe, Blumiere was simply impressed no one had gotten burned.

When one of the dancers stepped to the center stage and claimed he was going to 'swallow the fire,' Blumiere could hardly watch. Noticing his discomfort, Timpani allowed him to cower behind her shoulder. "He's done it," she whispered. "Now watch, he's going to breathe it out!"

Sure enough, the man on the stage spewed a plume of flames and smoke into the sky and then turned to the crowd, embracing the cheers.

"Impressive," Blumiere muttered. He couldn't help but imagine what it'd be like to hold a flame inside of his stomach. If this is the humans' idea of fun, it's a wonder there are still so many of them left!

The fire dancers began their next act, in which they combined acrobatics with their earlier dance. They climbed on top of each other, forming a pyramid that was ablaze with fire. The flames seemed to lick at the edges of the suits they were wearing, but they did not catch fire. Finally, the lead dancer stepped to the center of the stage once more.

"It is time for the finale! The Fire Dragon!" The cheering in the crowd turned into a low murmur.

"He's going to ask for a volunteer," Timpani sounded as though she could barely contain her excitement. "And just wait and see what they do!"

Blumiere wished he could share in her enthusiasm, but the entire fire dancing act had yet to do more than give him goosebumps.

"Who shall be the dragon's victim?" the man asked the crowd.

Ronan's hand shot up. "Me! Pick me!"

"Ronan, wait," Blumiere reached forward to try and quiet the boy, but it was too late. The fire leader had seen Ronan's hand first.

"You! You are the Fire Dragon's victim! Seize him!" the other dancers filed off of the stage towards Ronan, who was trying to hold in laughter.

Blumiere, on the other hand, was trying to keep himself from fleeing the scene. The fire was coming awfully close, and…

"Blumiere!" Panic flashed in Timpani's eyes as the dancers drew closer. "Blumiere, you have to go!"

He scrambled backward, trying to escape the light of the fire, but as he stood, his foot caught on the blanket and he fell back. He locked eyes with one of the dancers and froze.

For a moment, no one moved. The torch's light revealed his obviously discolored skin, and his cerulean eyes glowed faintly in the half-darkness. One by one, every human turned to look at him. It was clear they didn't know what to do.

"Seize him," one of the dancers whispered, and at once the nine fire wielders rushed at Blumiere, torches blazing.

Struggling to stand, Blumiere tried to run, but the dancers had a hold of him before he could move a centimeter. As they dragged him towards the stage, he tried desperately to focus on teleporting out of there, but his mind was so overworked, and the heat of the flames threatened to singe his skin. Vaguely he heard Timpani screaming his name, but she was lost in the now-writhing crowd.

He was led to the center of the stage, facing the mass of humans. A dancer on each side held him in place, pointing their torches at him.

"There is a demon in our midst!" The lead dancer called. The crowd was overcome by shouting and jeers.

"Burn him!"

"Teach him a lesson!"

"Send him back to Hell where he belongs!"

Blumiere shook. "Please," he begged, "I haven't c-come to harm you!"

"Then tell us, demon, why have you come down from your mighty castle?" The lead dancer brought his torch dangerously close to Blumiere's face. "Did you come to enjoy the festival?"

Blumiere was unable to reply, and the crowd was filled with uproarious laughter.

"Then I'm sure you'll be glad to be a part of our grand finale. Light the fire!"

The dancers holding him dragged him backward towards a metal pole that supported the stage. They began to tie him to it with ropes, while other dancers stood with their torches at the ready.

"No!" Blumiere screamed. Smoke burned his eyes and elicited tears, which splashed onto his cheeks. Mother, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… I should have known, I should have learned from your mistakes. Father, I should have listened to your warnings… I'm so sorry… For you to lose your wife and then your son… I'll be causing you so much pain…

Real tears filled his eyes now, and he hung his head in guilt and shame, waiting for the flames to consume him.

Then, there was a great commotion in the crowd of people. Screams rose above the turmoil, and suddenly the flames near Blumiere were moved away. He was aware of the dancers running away from him, but… why?

A massive figure was skittering towards him. It was as tall as the stage and sported six long legs that trampled over any human in the way. A grotesque head supported the legs, and, dangling from the head by a thread, was the body of a little green girl. It occurred to Blumiere that this thing was causing the panic, and that this thing was Mimi.

The dancers threw their torches at her, but they bounced off harmlessly and onto the cobblestone. As she scuttled towards Blumiere, the crowd dissipated, and all of the humans either boarded themselves up in their houses or dashed off into the forest.

In a puff of purple smoke, Mimi had regained her human-esque form. She dropped to her knees, gasping for air.

"Blumiere!" Timpani sprinted onto the stage towards the man and frantically began untying the ropes that bound him to the pole. When he was free, he slumped forward into her arms, and she sheltered him in a tight embrace. "Oh… Oh, I was so worried…" Timpani was sobbing.

Blumiere's entire body was shaking. He was struggling to breathe steadily. Too close… that was too close…

"N-Nev-ver ag-gain…" he stammered.

"No, no, no… You're right, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have…"

"W-we should-dn't have." Blumiere corrected her, and then he buried his face in her shoulder, feeling the back of his throat sting with the promise of tears.

Mimi clawed at the ground, trying to gulp in air. "H-help!"

Timpani and Blumiere ceased their hushed conversation. An elderly human male dressed in a thick, light green robe was standing over Mimi, who was whimpering and covering her eyes. He pulled back the hood of his robe to reveal yellow eyes, which glowed softly in the darkness. With steady hands he pulled the flailing green girl into his arms and pushed the back of her neck. She immediately stopped struggling, and went limp.

"Come with me," he said to the horrified couple. "There is something I must tell you."

"Aha ha ha ha. What a shame. The poor fool almost followed his mother to the grave. The humans must have a fascination with watching blue-faced creatures burn…"