Timpani sat alone atop the cliffs once again. It was a lovely afternoon, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day outside. She looked out at the horizon longingly.

That voice... that soft gentle voice. She couldn't seem to get it out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. There was something sweet and kind about it. 

She had looked everywhere for it! She went around her small village, but no one matched the mystery person who had saved her. It was like he just disappeared. She was starting to think that she imagined the whole encounter.

But it felt so real. 

. . .

Meanwhile, a now human Blumiere was slumped against Dimentio while the smaller boy helped him walk. Having lost all his magic took a larger toll on Blumiere than he expected. He felt oddly tired and weak. 

Dimentio continued to help Blumiere walk, thankful that the tide was low enough. He set Blumiere down by the head of the trail which led up to the village, gasping for breath. He never excelled when it came to physical strength.

Blumiere silently laughed and smiled at the sight of himself, leaning over to look at his reflection in the water. He ran his hands through his now black hair and smiled at the human staring back at him.

"Blumiere? BLUMIERE!" Dimentio exclaimed, grabbing Blumiere's shoulders and pulling him away from the water. "You IDIOT! How could you do something so STUPID?!" 

Blumiere silently stared at Dimentio, blinking while the smaller boy let him go and began pacing back and forth, bringing a hand to his chin and talking to himself.

"This is a catastrophe. What would your father say?! Oh, I'll tell you what your father will say! He'll say he's going to kill me, that's what he'll say! I-I'm going to march back home right now and tell him everything, just like I should have the minute I-"

Dimentio began marching back when Blumiere grabbed his wrist, shaking his head no with a desperate look in his eyes.

"Don't you give me those puppy dog eyes!" Dimentio spat. "Maybe there's still time to fix this. We can just go back to that witch and ask for your voice back. You could go home with all the normal tribesmen and just be..." 

Dimentio looked at the desperate, heartbroken look in Blumiere's eyes.

"Just be..." Dimentio continued, his voice getting softer until he finally gave in, bowing his head. "Just be miserable for the rest of your life."

He let out a small sigh and shook his head. How did he manage to get wrapped up in a teenage love story? This was the kind of situation he had been actively avoiding.

He let out a small huff and stepped back, rolling his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, alright. I guess I'll... try to help you find that girl."

Blumiere's eyes lit up. He beamed, then quickly wrapped Dimentio in a tight hug. The smaller boy tensed up, then shoved Blumiere off.

"Gah! Get off me!" Dimentio exclaimed, his face heating up slightly. "I am NOT a fan of contact!"

He hated how soft he was becoming. Being around Blumiere was bad for his health, he was sure of it. If only the tribe leader didn't assign him such a difficult task.

Blumiere looked like a bit of a mess. His clothes were dirty and wet, plus his hair was all tangled. But, it would have to do.

"Okay, listen up," Dimentio started.

Meanwhile, Timpani could hear voices from below. She perked up slightly, then stood up on her feet, running down the trail to see who was speaking! Perhaps it was the mystery guy she had been looking for.

Dimentio heard the sound of her footsteps, then brushed some dust off of Blumiere's shoulders.

"Okay, just be yourself. Actually, no! That's bad advice. We want her to like you. Just... ignore all your natural instincts and you should be fine!" Dimentio breathed, quickly stepping back and hiding behind a rock so Timpani wouldn't see him.

Blumiere blinked a few times, then lightly smiled and gave Dimentio an awkward thumbs up.

"Hello?" Timpani curiously called, running down the trail. "Is someone there?"

Blumiere's cheeks trend a soft shade of pink as soon as he saw Timpani. She was just as beautiful as she remembered.

He took a bashful step back, nervously running his hands through his hair as soon as Timpani's eyes locked on his. She took a step forward, her lips pursed slightly.

"Um... hello," She smiled, timidly waving at Blumiere. "A-Are you okay, sir?"

Blumiere smiled and leaned forward, nodding and looking at the young girl in awe. She was even prettier up close. Her voice was sweet like honey.

Timpani looked at his deep blue eyes and slowly frowned. "You... look familiar," She whispered. "Have we met?"

Blumiere excitedly nodded. Timpani's eyes went wide.

"I-I knew it!" She beamed, grabbing ahold of his hands and leaning forward. "You're the one! The one I've been looking for! What's your name?!"

Blumiere smiled and mouthed the word 'Blumiere,' only for no sound to come out. He slowly frowned and brought a hand to his throat, remembering that he traded his voice away.

Timpani cocked her head to the side slightly. "What's wrong?" She asked, eyes filled with concern.

Blumiere bit his lip, then tapped his throat.

Timpani slowly let go of his hands, taking a small step back. "You... can't talk?" She asked.

Blumiere sadly shook his head no.

"Oh..." Timpani trailed off, looking down guiltily. "Then... you couldn't have been who I thought..."

Blumiere let out a small huff, then tapped his throat, waving his arms around, trying to silently explain everything that had happened to him. Only the more he tried, the more confused Timpani seemed. 

Blumiere continued trying to silently explain, when he tripped forward, falling into Timpani's arms. Timpani helped catch and steady him, then looked at the desperation in his eyes.

"Whoa, careful... easy," Timpani hushed. "You must have been through something rough. D-don't worry. I'll help you..." she whispered, carefully helping him back up the trail. 

Blumiere slowly smiled, then looked back at Dimentio, who was peeking out from the rock he was hiding behind and offering a thumbs up.

. . .

Blumiere was brought through the human village up to a large, beautiful tower. There were so many rooms, each filled with so many wonderful items. Candles, lights, yellow, red, and pink flowers. Everything was so bright and colorful. 

The people working in the tower to help Blumiere get settled had all assumed Blumiere had been washed up from a shipwreck or something of the sort. 

Meanwhile, Timpani was waiting with Merlon at the bottom of the tower, looking out a large window longingly while Merlon paced behind her.

"Come on, Timpani. Boys don't just waltz around the bottom of the cliffside rescuing people, then disappear into the night," Merlon breathed, rubbing his temples.

"I'm telling you, Merlon! He was real!" Timpani begged. "I'm going to find that boy! I swear!" 

She looked out the window with determination, when she heard soft footsteps and looked down the hall.

Blumiere timidly walked into the doorway, looking up at the beautiful interior. There was a crystal chandelier hanging above the large table in the middle of the room, which had seats set around it. The sun shone through the windows, making the room seem to glow a golden color. Yellow flowers sat in vases throughout the room.

Timpani's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Blumiere. His clothes had been changed. He was wearing a blue button-up long-sleeve with a back vest over it. He also wore black dress pants and black boots with a silver buckle. His hair was neatly brushed, though there was still a somewhat messy quality to it. He wore a fancy black tophat atop his head. 

He lightly smiled, reaching up for the hat and straightening it while Timpani's eyes softened. Meron grinned and walked up behind her, gently elbowing her. 

"Well, isn't he a vision..." Merlon whispered as Blumiere timidly walked in, smiling and holding his hands in front of himself.

Timpani didn't reply. She just continued to look at Blumiere in awe.

He looked wonderful.

"Come, young man," Merlon beamed, taking Blumiere's shoulders and leading him to a seat at the large table. "You must be starving."

Blumiere sat down at the table, looking around at all the shining silverware. He couldn't help but smile at all the incredible new sights surrounding him. The ceiling had paintings of a starry sky on it, the floor was covered with a soft carpet. The air was warm, yet light. Not cold and heavy like the air he was used to.

. . .

Dimentio snuck around the side of the tower, trying to find a way inside without being spotted. He could have teleported, but he was rather exhausted from teleporting himself and Blumiere out of that cave earlier. Plus, if a human caught him using magic, there would surely be problems.

If a human caught him in general, there would be issues. He clearly wasn't human, so he had to do his very best to stay hidden.

He peeked inside a window, then swung the glass pane open, quickly crawling inside and pressing his back to the wall, breathing heavily. This whole situation had 'anxiety' written all over it. This is not what he imagined when he agreed to become a nobleman. 

He appeared to be in some sort of kitchen. Although it was far different from the kitchens he was used to seeing. In the tribe of darkness, the chefs used magic to get ingredients and prepare meals. This room looked far more... violent.

There were sharp silver knives hanging up over the sinks, furnaces with hot coals below them, and dead animals being refrigerated. Dimentio had to cover his mouth to cover his gasp.

He nervously swallowed, then rushed for the door, reaching for the handle when it suddenly swung open, hitting him and slamming the poor boy against the wall.

In walked a chef, who was happily singing to herself, bringing a tray of vegetables over to the cutting table and grabbing a knife. She grabbed two of the blades, then began sharpening them against each other, grinning as she did and humming to herself.

Dimentio winced as the door shut, then dove behind a crate that was holding different packaged foods. He winced and squeezed his eyes shut, listening as the chef continued to chop vegetables. 

She took a bucket of fish, then began gutting them while still happily humming to herself. Dimentio nervously swallowed, then peered around the crate, turning green as he watched the chef cut the fish heads off and rip out their bones.

How were humans so... so... inhumane?! The poor boy felt like he was going to throw up. How could humans do that to a once living creature?! 

She then took a mallet and began pounding the fish, causing Dimentio to quietly shriek. 

The chef stopped, then slowly turned her head towards the crate Dimentio was hiding behind. Dimentio continued to grow paler and paler, biting his lip and trembling.

The chef hummed for a moment, then grabbed ahold of two knives from her set, sharpening them and slowly stalking towards the crate Dimentio was hiding behind.

"Hello? Who's there..." She trailed off in a sweet voice. Dimentio continued to tremble as she grabbed ahold of the crate and looked around it. 

Just before she could spot him, Dimentio turned himself invisible. The chef raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and turned away, slowly walking back towards her food.

Dimentio let out a small sigh of relief, then peered around the crate again, watching as the chef began to boil water. After a moment, she pulled out a tank of live lobsters. 

Oh, not on my watch, Dimentio thought to himself, flicking his wrist and making the boiling water disappear.

"Huh?" The chef asked, walking over to where the pot was only a moment ago. "What the-"

Dimentio suddenly darted over to the lobster tank, grabbing ahold of it and sprinting to the window, releasing the lobsters. 

"BE FREE!" He yelled, vanishing and dropping the tank while the Chef screamed, taking a broom and trying to chase after him, despite not being able to see him.