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"I don't think you're understanding me."
The raven-haired man narrowed his eyes, glaring at the prince before him. "We can't afford to take anymore risks," he said. "I know what you're thinking. Don't be stupid."
The prince frowned and shook his head, humbly placing both his hands on his lap. "I'm afraid you're the one who misunderstands, Jazz," he said with a careful, watchful gaze. "I do not intend to give up my kingdom. I know we've worked very hard to get to this point, and I would never simply throw that all away."
Jazz sighed. He felt his legs gently kick against the couch he sat on— nothing more than an anxious trait that he wasn't able to hide. Even if he tried to suppress his emotions, Prince Crescendo knew him better than most people did.
"I know you're worried," Crescendo said, then muttered, a bit quieter, "Worried about me, that is."
He could see right through him.
The two had been in Crescendo's room practically all day, going back and forth on what the best course of action to take against Forte would be. Their conversation had gone nowhere, especially since Crescendo was being awfully vague about whatever questions Jazz would pose to him. Jazz suspected that Crescendo had some sort of plan in mind—a surrender by a noble prince, perhaps—but doing that would not only threaten the safety of everyone in Baroque, but his dear friend's safety as well. He had to find a way to change his mind.
"You're making a mistake," Jazz retorted. "Your plan won't solve anything. You should be thinking rationally about this."
"Of course." Crescendo agreed. "However, I've never been the most logical thinker. That's what you're here for."
At that, Jazz lowered his gaze, staring down at his lap and his balled-up fists.
"I understand how you feel," Crescendo said solemnly. "I truly wish things didn't end up this way. Sometimes I think about the past, and I yearn to go back to how things once were."
Jazz said nothing. But as he stared down wordlessly, he knew his silence only signaled his agreement.
How did things turn out this way?
He and Crescendo used to be closer. They shared so much in their past, and yet now, after being caught up in this war, they were nothing more than fragile allies.
"That's just the nature of war," Jazz said.
"But we can fix that," Crescendo offered. "Together, I believe we'll be able to— oh!"
He was quickly cut off by the sound of a creaky door slowly opening. Both men shot their heads to the entrance of the room, Jazz adjusting his body to turn behind him, as they saw a few familiar faces peak their heads into the room.
"Sorry to interrupt," Allegretto said, smiling sheepishly.
Crescendo sighed. He was not surprised, nor disappointed, especially with how the direction of his conversation with Jazz had been going. Still, he asked, "We're discussing important matters right now. Didn't my guards inform you to leave us be?"
"Oh, they let us through after some...convincin'!" A spry voice behind Allegretto spoke up.
Jazz and Crescendo watched as Allegretto, Salsa, and Viola filed into the room. Salsa had a mischievous look on her face, while Viola looked apologetic.
"Don't worry," Viola said, "we'll be out of your hair in just a second. It's just that you guys have been in here all day, and we thought you could use some, ah..."
"Refreshments!" Salsa chimed in.
"Yes!" Viola nodded. "Exactly."
With that, Allegretto carried two glasses containing some sort of clear beverage to the table in between where Jazz and Crescendo sat. He placed both glasses on either side, seeming a bit too cheerful about the simple selfless act.
"That's very kind of you," Crescendo said.
Jazz stayed quiet. He stared cautiously at the glass before him. "What is this?" he asked simply.
"It's just water!" Salsa huffed. "We're not tryin' to poison ya, for crying out loud!"
Was it really just water? Jazz wondered.
Then why did it look a bit pink when the light hit it just right?
"Is everything all right, Jazz?" Crescendo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jazz sighed in defeat. He was being foolish. There was no reason to be suspicious— he'd been traveling with these people for weeks. He knew more about them than he knew about nearly every member of Andantino, save for Falsetto and Claves.
To confirm his suspicious were unreasonable, Jazz leaned forward and picked up the glass, raising it to his lips. "I'm fine," Jazz sighed. "It's been a long day. I appreciate you three doing this." He took a sizable sip from the glass.
Allegretto, Salsa, and Viola seemed to be snickering in the corner of the room. "Don't thank us just yet," Viola said, a playful glint in her eye as she watched Jazz drink.
What was that supposed to mean?
Jazz scowled, shooting a glare over to the three on the other side of the room. They were smiling widely, Salsa even covering her mouth trying to stifle laughter.
"What are you all..." Jazz tried to say, but he allowed his voice to trail off once his thoughts were interrupted by a strange feeling arising in his gut.
That drink...
What was in that glass?
Jazz suddenly felt good. Really good. He could still taste the sweet, warm beverage on his tongue. It felt as though it was warming his whole body, giving forth to a bubbly, floaty sensation in his stomach.
Somehow, the feeling spread to his skin. It caused a strange, warm tingling to run throughout his body. He felt it move down his arms and legs, accumulating in his core near his ribs and stomach. Jazz tensed up. It felt strange, but good . A smile began to form on his face, and he started squirming a bit in his seat.
"Jazz?" Crescendo asked, concerned. He stood up and watched as the younger man in front of him struggled to sit still.
Jazz wrapped his arms tightly around his abdomen as the fuzzy, tingling feeling spread. His eyes were squeezed shut, doing his best to keep his mouth tightly closed. But the feeling only grew more intense, and he felt that he could come apart any second.
"Come on, Jazz, what's the matter?" Viola teased, stepping a bit closer to him. She smirked as she reached an arm out to touch Jazz's shoulder.
But as the feeling climbed, more intense than anyone would be able to stifle, it was like a dam broke, and suddenly, he couldn't take it.
Jazz erupted into enormous laughter. He threw his head back, his arms still wrapped around himself as he fidgeted and squirmed, unable to hide it any longer.
"W-What's wrong with him?!" Crescendo cried.
"WHAHAHAHAT IS THIHIHIS?" Jazz couldn't keep it in, and his words were difficult to get out amidst his constant stream of laughter. Everywhere on his body, all at once, he felt a ticklish pulse that swirled under his skin. It was impossible to focus on a single spot— the tingles ran everywhere, and he felt like he was getting tickled in all of his worst spots at the same time.
While Jazz was in hysterics, Crescendo stared at his own glass that sat on the table in front of him, then looked back at the three troublemakers with wide eyes. "What was in that drink? Answer me!"
Allegretto laughed, getting a kick out of the scene that unfolded before him. He waved his hand dismissively. "We just thought you guys could use a break! So we may have put together a certain...potion, y'know?"
"A potion?" Crescendo's gaze flicked back and forth. "I don't..."
"Ever heard of a tickle potion?" Salsa giggled.
"THAHAHAT EXIHIHISTS?" Jazz cried, doubling over in laughter. He still had his eyes closed, his face flushed. "THIHIHIS IS FOOLAHAHISH!"
"Don't worry, it's harmless!" Viola reasoned. "I don't think it's supposed to last that wrong. Right, Allegretto?"
Allegretto could barely suppress his own laughter watching Jazz come undone. "I think so," he chuckled. "Pretty sure the spell book said it only lasts a few minutes."
"Spell book? Is that how you made this tick—" Crescendo paused. He couldn't say that word...something about it made him flush with embarrassment. He backtracked, "this...potion?"
"We found this big ol' book of potions in the magic researcher's room!" Salsa said. "We were originally just lookin' through 'em cause we were bored, but then we saw ingredients for a tickle potion, and...well, we just had to test it out on someone !"
"And who better than the two of you?" Viola added. "I don't think I've ever seen either of you laugh, let alone smile! I gotta say, it suits you, Jazz."
"STOHOHOP! THIHIHIS IHIHIS AHAHAGONIHIHY!" Jazz felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "CRESCEHIHIHINDO! DO SOMETHIHIHIHING!"
Crescendo raised a hand to his mouth, doing his best to cover a forming grin. He hadn't seen Jazz this way since the two were much younger— barely even adults at that point, back before anyone spoke of topics like war. Being able to see his friend truly enjoy himself after so long was a bit more amusing than Crescendo would have liked to admit.
"I'm sorry, Jazz, but they do make a good point," Crescendo admitted. "I think a bit of laughter will do you some good."
Jazz felt utterly betrayed . He kicked his legs, now lying sideways on the couch. Laughter filled the room as he twisted and turned, unable to do anything but cackle wildly and unable to think about anything except how much it tickled. "WHAHAHEN DOES IHIHIHIT EHIHIND?"
"What in the world is going on in here?!"
A sudden voice could barely be heard over Jazz's howling, and everyone turned their attention back to the entrance of the room.
Falsetto let the door close behind her as she slowly walked in, circling over to where Allegretto, Viola, and Salsa stood. Her gaze never left Jazz as he writhed on the couch.
"I-Is he... is he drunk ? Or has he finally lost it? Do I even want to know?"
"Oh, he's great!" Salsa giggled. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen anyone laugh as hard as him!"
"There's no way the potion was this strong," Viola insisted. "I think he's just been holding in his emotions for years. You gotta loosen up sometimes, Jazz! Otherwise, it'll build up and you'll be stuck letting it out all at once."
Allegretto nodded. "It's a good thing we're here to teach you that!"
Jazz continued to thrash, the warmth in his body only growing once he heard Falsetto's voice. Of all the people to be subjected to this...of course she had to be here. He tried his best to talk through his cackling, "NOAHAHAHA! FAHAHLSETTO! YOU HAHAHAVE TO GOHOHOHO!"
"Potion, huh?" Falsetto crossed her arms, staring down at Jazz. "You know, maybe this isn't so bad for you, Jazz. It's actually kinda nice to see you laugh. I can't even remember the last time I got to hear that."
"THIHIHIS IHIHIS SO STUPIHIHIHAHAAHA!"
It was an incredibly odd situation for anyone standing in that room. And yet, every one of them felt themselves enjoying it. Crescendo basked in the sounds of Jazz's chortles and snorts. It had been so long since he'd heard Jazz genuinely happy.
His laughter was like sunshine.
After about another minute or two, Jazz's wheezing began to slow. His movements grew a bit less erratic, and his thrashing mostly subsided. A few stray giggles escaped him as he lay sprawled out on the couch, utterly spent, yet his face had the brightest smile that anyone had ever seen him give.
The pulsing under Jazz's skin soon vanished as quickly as it had started. The feeling became less overwhelming, less prominent, until it stopped lingering and disappeared altogether. Jazz was almost disappointed, but the notion didn't last after he was able to finally focus on his own thoughts again.
He was exhausted . His usual ponytail had nearly come undone, and his long, messy hair covered most of his face that he kept buried into the couch cushion to suppress any leftover sounds he feared he’d make. Sure, it was humiliating, and it was very likely something that he'd never live down. But it was also...a bit nice.
It was nice to let go.
He heard footsteps shuffle next to him, so he raised his head from the cushion and saw Crescendo standing in front of him, offering his hand. Jazz tentatively took it, and he was pulled up from the couch, barely able to stand on his wobbly legs.
"Are you doing okay?" Crescendo asked.
Jazz nodded. "I've never seen you smile this much," he said.
Crescendo laughed. "You haven't even stopped smiling. I suppose it's contagious."
"Yeah," was all Jazz said.
The two were interrupted by Salsa's giggling from the other side of the room. "Don't forget, we also brought you a glass, captain! Better drink up before it gets cold!"
"Oh, I think we've had quite enough for one day." Crescendo shook his head. "I couldn't possibly."
"Actually, she has a point," Jazz said, grinning mischievously. "I think you should."
Falsetto chuckled. "You guys are too much," she said with a hearty sigh. "Come on, Jazz. I'll walk you back to your room. I think you need to rest for awhile."
"Yeahhh, you look pretty out of it," Allegretto agreed. "You're not too mad at us, right?"
"He can't be mad at us," Viola said. "We were just doing him a favor! Right, Jazz?"
Jazz smiled, content. He let that be his answer as he turned to Falsetto, nodding to her as the two began to leave the room.
"We'll pick this back up when you feel ready for it," Crescendo spoke up. "Go get some rest, all right, Jazz?"
"Right," Jazz said. And just before he left the room, he quickly added, "I look forward to it."
***
Quiet footsteps resonated through the corridors of the castle. Jazz and Falsetto walked side-by-side, heading for the east wing so that Falsetto could take Jazz to the room he'd been staying in. Even though Jazz had insisted he'd be fine getting there on his own, Falsetto chose to accompany him anyway, arguing that he looked like he could fall over at any second.
And as the two walked quietly, with no one else around, Falsetto decided to be the first to speak up, "I haven't seen you that way since we were kids."
Jazz cast his gaze downward. "Yeah," he said. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
"Hey, don't apologize!" Falsetto cried. "It was...nice to see you laugh that way. I remember when we were little and we used to...do that sort of thing. Like, we'd have tickle fights all the time."
Jazz sighed. "Right. How juvenile."
"Well, you can't pretend you didn't enjoy it," Falsetto snickered. "It wasn't as embarrassing as you think, though. To me, it was like...being able to see someone who I haven't seen in ages."
Jazz stayed quiet, so Falsetto opted to continue, "Everything changed after the war, you know? We started our very own group to oppose Forte. And, with the way the world is now, it's not easy to let yourself enjoy the little things again. To just let go. That's why it was...nice. It was nice to see you drop that 'rebel leader' persona for awhile and just be yourself. The person who I remember lost every tickle fight we ever had."
Jazz suppressed a laugh. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Falsetto smiled.
After that, they walked in silence, no doubt reminiscing about the past. A past that was free of war. Free from Count Walt's regime.
Back when Jazz was able to just let go.
In a few mere moments, the two found themselves standing outside of Jazz's room. Before Falsetto left, Jazz finally built up the courage to ask her something that had been on his mind since they left Crescendo's room.
"Hey, Falsetto...do you know anything about a spell book?"