3They knocked at the door. Spy, who was wandering the smoking room with a cigarette in his hand, replied without stopping:
"Go away."
"Spy, it's me. Scout."
"...Come in."
Scout opened the door and had the consideration of closing it behind him. The two mercenaries were in silence for a while, avoiding looking at each other to the face. Scout cleared his throat and at last was able to find the word to initiate that awkward but necessary conversation.
"Is...everything alright?"
"Yes. And you? How are you?"
"Well, my whole body itches. But I'm fine, yeah. It's great to have hands again and being able to talk."
Spy nodded at that response.
"Truth is...I hate to admit it, but it was thanks to you."
"Me?"
"Yes."
"I...Hm..."
"You protected me. Hadn't been for you, I'd be dead."
"Ah. Yes. No...problem."
"Don't worry, in five minutes we'll both forget we had this conversation. I just wanted to tell you not...to seem ingrate and stuff."
"That was nice from you."
Silence again, why was it so difficult for them to hold a conversation?
"Tell me something, Spy" Scout's tone went more serious, his fine smile vanished. "If I hadn't made it...If I had never gone back home...What would you have done?"
Spy forced himself to look at the boy to the eyes.
"I suppose lament having kicked you out for the rest of my life." he admitted.
"Would you have taken care of my mom?"
"..."
"Well, that doesn't matter now, I guess..."
"Yes."
"Welp, I'm leaving you alone with your...whatever the hell you do here."
Scout was about to go when Spy stopped him grabbing his wrist. Scout turned around and Spy raised his hand a bit. Whatever he was thinking of doing with it, he changed his mind, because he closed it and lowered it.
"I am proud of how you faced this situation."
"Spy...Wait. I think you got...fever" Scout extended a had to touch his forehead. "You're...you're delirious."
"I'm sorry you don't believe it, but I am being sincere. You did it very well, petit lapin."
"I don't know what you just said, but I hope it has nothing to do with rabbits."
Spy smiled with malice.
"Oh, you're going to have at least twenty-three years of rabbit references."
"Go to hell, Spy."
Scout walked out of the room. He didn't take a single step after getting out. He turned towards the door again, feeling tempted to get in again.
What was Spy doing in his bedroom while he was asleep?
He had to see what happened. He didn't believe the curse vanished on its own. Spy knew something. He had to know.
He meditated for some moments. Then, he shook his head and walked to the kitchen.
Maybe one day Spy would tell him. That day would be pretty long because that damned man kept many, many things to himself.
"Merasmus. It is Spy. I came alone and my intentions are good."
The wizard seemed not to trust him, Spy deducted it from the time it took him to open the door. Truth was that he didn't blame him, after what happened. Finally, Merasmus looked through the hole in the door fist and then opened it. He still had marks of the delicate treatment his teammates had given him. It was not surprising that he didn't want to open. Of course, he didn't trust him, being a spy, but he supposed he had no alternative.
"You have won this time, mortals, but soon I will rise and you will get..."
"Yes, yes, of course. I have a question for you."
Merasmus got comfortable on his armchair. Spy was sat in front of him, on a similar one. It felt weird to sit on something so sofisticated and old when they were inside of a storage unit. Again, those were objects he had managed to save, this time from the claws and jaws of the racoons. Spy had noted they were pretty shabby and smelt funny.
"I don't understand what happened."
"Vey well, let's see" Merasmus stopped and gazed at him. "What did you do to him, exactly?"
"I gave him a kiss."
"A kiss?"
"Yes, on the head. A little peck. Nothing else. I didn't say magic words or anything of the sort.
Spy frowned when he saw Merasmus raise his eyebrows and mutter 'oooooooh...' before giving him a funny look.
"What?"
"It turns out old Deedee was right..."
"Speak clear."
"It was certainly a 'frog prince' spell. I have to write that down. It seems that the spell I have always used is a modern version, but the basis is till the same. Interesting..."
"So, the solution was a simple kiss?"
"No. Not a simple kiss. Have you ever read a fairytale?" Spy kept the answer to himself, so Merasmus continued. "A true love's kiss breaks the spell."
"A true love's kiss?"
"Yes."
Spy looked away and Merasmus looked at him in such a way that Spy turned his gaze back at him.
"Merasmus does not meddle in anybody's life. Next time, spy, teach the pup to control himself."
"I would need a lot of magic for that."
Spy smiled to himself. No. Not even magic would calm Scout down.
He wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
THE END
