The Art of Forgiveness

Chapter 8

When Dimentio got home, Blumiere wanted to yell at him for completely ditching him out of the blue and risking getting them both sent back to the Underwhere, but he fell silent the moment he noticed the jester's hunched over shoulders. Dimentio always had fairly good posture, so it was easy to tell when something was wrong.

Dimentio was quiet for quite a while. He didn't move or speak much, he didn't annoy Mario, he didn't actively try to tick off Luigi, and he didn't even insult Blumiere. He was completely and utterly silent, to the point where it was actually quite concerning. 

Blumiere noticed that something was up with him the second the jester stopped actively trying to annoy everyone in the household. At first, the former count was worried that Dimentio had somehow fallen back into his state of defeat and quiet like he had when he was in the Underwhere. 

Blumiere didn't want to admit it, but he preferred an over-the-top annoying Dimentio to the quiet, depressed Dimentio. An annoying Dimentio had an overall bright aura that would fill the room wherever he went, while a depressed Dimentio would make things seem grim and dark.

"Something wrong?" Blumiere quietly questioned once it was just Dimentio and himself in the living room. 

Dimentio sat on a single chair quietly to himself while Blumiere was sitting on a couch about a few meters away, perpendicular to Dimentio. 

The former count hugged one of the couch cushions to himself, not because he was nervous, but because it was squishy and he liked having something to hold. 

The lantern had been set on a small table, next to the book. It had been a good few hours since either had been touched.

Dimentio shook his head no, silently staring at the wall across the room from himself. Blumiere was vividly reminded of when the jester would silently stare at the River of Twygz day in and day out. Back then, Blumiere was worried that Dimentio would never smile or act like himself again. It was the one time when he truly and completely appeared broken, weighed down by the fact that he had been defeated, by the fact that he lost. 

Blumiere squinted at him, trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong. He wanted to know why the lost and defeated expression was suddenly back, as gloomy and dark as ever. His first theory was that Dimentio was starting to realize how impossible the situation they were in seemed, but Blumiere eventually banished that thought because Dimentio in the past was never one to let impossible-seeming situations get him down. All the odds in the world could be stacked against him, and he would still find loopholes and tricks to make things turn out his way. He was good at seeing different angles and figuring out his own ways to get on top, no matter how crazy a situation may seem. 

"Dimentio-"

"I'm not going to get to the Overthere," Dimentio quietly muttered, bowing his head and hugging his knees to his chest. His voice was soft and quiet. He didn't sound like himself. He didn't look like himself either. He was back to being the person who waited in the Underwhere with no purpose as the seconds ticked away. He was back to being the person who was simply existing, not living. 

Blumiere was hit with a brief wave of clarity, then slowly nodded. He could see what was going on now. Dimentio was afraid. The jester didn't get scared often, but whenever he did, he would make himself small. He wouldn't often talk about his fears because he never wanted anyone else to see him that way, so he would usually just hide. However, when he couldn't hide or when he stopped caring to hide, he would simply get like this. Quiet.

"We'll find a way to make it," Blumiere tried assuring him, hoping to sound at least somewhat positive and motivational. If Dimentio was simply losing motivation, then Blumiere had loads to spare. "I know it seems impossible, but-"