At Lancer's encouragement, the biweekly sleepover at the Card Castle had become a staple.
Every two weeks on Friday, after all the faculty and students had departed, Susie and Kris would file through the janitor closet doors. From there, it was a short trip through a Warp Door or two, before arriving at the splendid gates of the Castle. And waiting for them there, without exception, was always a brightly smiling Lancer, and a cheerful Ralsei.
From there, the passage of time usually varied. Card games, board games, movie nights, video game nights, spooky story nights—with the resources of the Castle, and the active imagination of its king, there was no limit to what the night held. But even through the sleepover's varied contents, the ending had become uniform.
The process began around 10 PM.
First, a faint yawn from Lancer. A few minutes later, a wider one. And finally, after the eyes-closed, mouth gaping third yawn, he declared it time for him to sleep. And so, after good-nights were shared, he headed off to bed.
From there, it was a chain reaction. Ralsei decided on rest not long after, and retreated to the guest wing of the Castle. Then it was Kris' turn. And finally, as the last teammate standing, Susie was left entirely to her devices.
The time approached midnight, and with it, a grin spread across her lips. The final ritual was about to commence. She set off to the kitchens.
Through a short trek through the castle halls, she arrived at her destination. On first entry, her eyes darted to her two targets, side-by-side: the fridge, and the pantry. From both, it was a simple matter of retrieving ingredients, the finest bread, ham, and mustard in all the Dark World. Assembly was a breeze.
And as the end result, the ham sandwich was complete. To accommodate, she retrieved a plate from a nearby cabinet, and a napkin for good measure.
But the job wasn't quite finished yet. One key element was missing, something that couldn't be found in this small kitchen: a place to sit. But she knew just the spot.
Quietly, Susie filed out the open doors, and retreated to the hallway. It was a short walk, around a few corners and torchlit passages, before she came to the foot of the stairs leading up the castle spire. She looked up.
Along this staircase, in the guest wing of the castle, the doors of her friends awaited. Ralsei's room, then Kris', and finally her own. But what she searched for awaited at the very top, beyond all others.
With plate in hand, she began the journey. The long, arduous climb, one she desperately wished the supplement with an elevator. She made a mental note to bring it up to Lancer.
But at last, after an eternity of stairs came to a merciful end, she stood before her target. A double set of oak and iron doors, just a little taller than herself. With her free hand, she placed her palm in the center, and pushed them open.
At once, a warm breeze filtered through the newfound opening, sifting Susie's hair gently. She blinked, and then contented herself to gaze outward.
She stood upon a relatively new discovery, and a favorite spot of hers all the same. It was a stone balcony, perched at the top of the spire, and one that overlooked an ocean of purple and red trees. The Field of Hopes and Dreams danced across her eyes, stretching far into the shadows beyond.
And, scattered about the balcony itself was a bit of furniture. The centerpiece caught her eye, with two chairs pointed to view the Field, and a coffee table. She took one step forward.
It proved to be the only, for a bit longer than she'd anticipated. She caught sight of what lay ahead at last.
Seated in the leftmost chair, his pink scarf and pointed green hat unmistakable, was Ralsei. He seemed oblivious to her initial entrance, his attention glued to the spectacle of the Field; but when she cleared her throat a bit, producing a faint sound, he whirled around quickly. Eye contact was immediate.
"Oh, Susie!"
Her voice proved difficult to wrangle, but after a second or two, she worked it free. "Um, hey dude."
Ralsei smiled. He shifted back again, to look upon the Field, but his inviting aura was unquestionable. With a near inward sigh, Susie approached the other chair, and sat down gingerly.
Her eyes fell to her sandwich. The mustard had left the bread a little soggy. Not nearly enough to deter her appetite.
"What brings you up here?"
Ralsei's inquiry came only after a few bites of her sandwich. She gulped, and with a slight tilt of her head, turned to him from her peripheral vision. "Uh, midnight snack." She brought the napkin to her mouth, and afterward, she spoke again: "It's a good view, right?"
Ralsei allowed a faint chuckle, and returned his gaze to the ocean of trees beyond the parapet. "Yes, it certainly is. I'm quite fond of it." He neatly folded his hands in his lap. "The towers in Castle Town don't reach nearly as high. Whenever we have these sleepovers, I make sure to find the time to come here."
She offered a lone nod. She polished off the last few bites of her sandwich, and set the plate on the coffee table. Again she leaned back in her chair, and let her eyes linger.
Silence overcame the two. Not quite to the point of discomfort, but a bit too long for her liking. But as her mind drifted, a stray realization came calling, and it proved one she couldn't ignore.
"Hey, Ralsei?"
He turned. "Yes?"
"Um... don't take this the wrong way, but—why are you up? Didn't you go to bed a few hours ago?"
The faint smile affixed to his features dropped. He exhaled, eyes diverting to the floor, and he hesitated for a moment's time.
"I've been a little restless tonight. I thought coming here might do me some good." He sighed, with slow closure of his eyes to match. "It's usually worked the other times, but—"
"Other times?"
Again he nodded. "I guess you could call it a recurring theme... this insomnia, it's only during these sleepovers. I can't explain it."
To Susie's faint surprise, Ralsei concluded his statement by standing up. He walked to the parapet of the balcony, and leaned forward to rest his elbows against the barrier. His gaze shifted across the scenery, left to right.
"Susie, can I ask you something?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
Ralsei moved his scarf about his neck. He swallowed the lump in his throat, enabling a deep, winding breath.
"I know this'll sound silly, but... do you like spending time here? In the Dark World?"
Her initial thoughts proved jumbled, and only silence served for an immediate reply. But after time enough to gather the words to her tongue, she felt no hesitation in wearing her confusion on her sleeve.
"Uh, yeah? I mean, I wouldn't be here now if I didn't."
Ralsei kept his gaze averted, eyes notably glazed and unfocused. A pit formed in Susie's stomach. "Yes, you're right. I know you're right." He again breathed out, a slow-burning, gentle sound. "I'm... I'm sorry for asking, Susie. I just wanted to hear your answer."
"Why?"
She kept her voice low, with seriousness in abundance. She could offer no guesses on the direction of the conversation, but she wanted to hear exactly what he had to say next. She kept her eyes affixed to his form, attentive of his every move.
In the form of slumped shoulders, and saddened eyes to match, Ralsei turned to face her again at last. He lowered his hat, setting it gently upon the table.
"Right now, I feel my memory's been jogged a bit. Maybe this is what's been bothering me." He leaned against the balcony parapet, and with a mild head-tilt, directed his eyes to the Field below. "It wasn't that long ago."
He paused.
"... Susie, when we first met, we didn't get along well. Right?"
She felt her tongue falter, and with it, any effort to interrupt were squashed. But Ralsei kept his initiative firm, pressing forward with all the courage he could muster. "I know I left a poor first impression, with that cloak covering my face. And when we went out to the Field, things between us got worse. We weren't on the best terms for a while, and you eventually split from Kris and I. You left because I said you weren't contributing to the team.
"And... when I think now, about everything, I can't help but feel remorseful. I mean, I know everything turned out okay, but I just—I wish we didn't have to disagree like that. I could have done better, for us both."
He turned again. And with eye contact established with Susie, every word came from his throat quietly.
"I'm sorry, Susie. I think you're a wonderful person, and someone I consider a friend. I'm not expecting, or even asking you to feel the same... but I'm glad you're at least willing to put up with me. Just for these sleepovers."
He finished his remarks at last. Without another sound, he returned his eyes to his feet, and folded his hands together. Even from the corner of his eye, he didn't dare look to the only other with him.
Had he chosen to do so, he would have been met with a rapt attention honed upon him, and eyes enlarged just a sliver. Almost reflexively, she coughed.
"Um... damn, dude."
Whatever Ralsei had expected to hear, reality threw him a curveball. At last he forced himself to lift his eyes, and he was met with a small frown fixed to Susie's lips, creased brows to match. Such remained even as she stood, and with a slow, even pace, she came to his side.
"I didn't know you felt like that. I kinda wish you'd told me sooner."
Her voice was muted, a dry sound lasting only for a fleeting moment. Soon it faded to the wind, leaving only a blank, but sharpened stare to gaze to the trees below.
"Ralsei, I'm not going to bullshit you. We had our problems at first. And don't go putting it all on yourself, you know I tried to get under your skin. Lancer too."
A moment passed, time enough for Susie to take a gentle, slowly drawn breath. Perhaps involuntarily, she shook her head, a gesture not unnoticed by Ralsei.
"But I have to admit, I don't really understand why you've been hung up on this."
His face fell, in equal measure of confusion and indecisiveness. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that it doesn't make sense to me. Maybe this'll come out wrong, but I told you I'd be honest... everything that happened between us, it was forever ago. I don't think it's worth losing sleep over."
She exhaled, and closed her eyes for a passing second or two. And when she refocused her attention, she did so squarely upon Ralsei.
"And—you don't have to worry about me holding a grudge. Okay?" At last, the faintest sign of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Whatever was between us, that was done by the elevator ride. Hell, by then I thought of you as a friend."
She wanted extra emphasis on that part, to leave nothing to chance. And when she saw the light flicker in Ralsei's eyes, she knew she made the right decision. She lightly chuckled.
"I'm glad I found you here tonight, Ralsei. I think we needed to have this talk." She swiveled around, and with her back to the balcony's parapet, she trickled her head back. Her eyes drifted to the tip of the castle spire. "Just to clear things up, you know?"
Ralsei could only nod. And with it, a smile flourished in his features. "Yes. You're right, Susie. You're right..."
His wavering tone, culminating in silence wasn't lost upon her. She angled her head, to look in his direction.
She was met with the sight of Ralsei stepping forward. He kept his eyes planted to his feet, his best efforts to dodge eye contact, and he kept his hands behind his back. His fingers came together.
"Um, Susie?"
"Yeah?"
He paused. With a gentle breath through his nostrils, he lifted his face from his scarf at last. She could see the faintest markings of a smile, something she imagined she shared rather closely.
"I just... I just want to say, thank you for telling me your thoughts. I've been scared to have this conversation, but I see it was unfounded."
Her smile spread just a bit further. She put her hand on his shoulder, and offered a squeeze.
"It's no problem, man. I could say the same thing—and it means a lot to me that you care. It really does."
Ralsei nodded, a hurried gesture repeated only once. Then he lifted his glasses from his face, and brought the end of his scarf to his eyes. Susie stuck her hands in her pockets, eyes absently drifting to the doors.
"Hey, Ralsei? Do me a favor."
She earned his renewed attention. "What is it?"
"Go to bed. It's late, and you're tired."
She spoke with a rather serious tone, little emotion embedded. But when Ralsei couldn't contain his laughter, a short burst to erupt from his throat, she felt her stoic efforts crack away in an instant. She shared in his amusement, for an stretch of time she made little effort to track. But finally, when his laughs faded away, Ralsei piped up.
"Yes, I'm aware... some sleep would do me good. I'll give it a try."
Susie offered him a pat on the back, and with it, a nudge. But he remained rooted in place, instead speaking again: "Will you be coming back into the castle?"
She shook her head. "Nah, I'm gonna hang out here for a bit. I might grab another sandwich later."
He could only offer his warmest smile. And with this hidden beneath his hat, and behind his scarf, he set for the doors. On arrival, he pulled them open, and peered down the staircase.
Just before he stepped inside, he turned.
"Good night, Susie... I'll see you tomorrow."
She crossed her arms. And with it, one last upward curl of her lips emerged.
"Yeah. See you then, dude."
With soundless footsteps, Ralsei filed through the entrance, and began the descent down the stairs. She watched the doors swing in his wake, hinges creaking in protest, and the rustle of metal chains following close behind.
With a loud clang, the gates closed. Susie responded by returning to her chair, and plopping down. She took the liberty of leaning back, hands behind her head, and shifted her eyes to the darkness above.
Up there, she caught sight of a star.