Susie landed on her back, and when she motioned to stand up, she saw her sparkling studs back on her arms in the corner of her eye. Grinning, she then stretched her arms out in front of herself. She admired her pinkened tone sparkle under the spikes of her studded bands. She thought about her ax, and with a slam toward the ground it surely motioned into existence.

"Nice!" She flipped it over her shoulder to make it disappear as it came. The mechanism behind this type of magic was similar to bullet-magic to her. Simply dusting off her claws, she had expressed satisfaction of being transformed and in The Dark World, but she wasn't content.

"Kris! Can you hear me now?!" She gave him six seconds this time and there was no reply. "Okay! How dare you go on ahead, punk!" She decided to give him an additional four and nada. She stomped her foot and gave him what felt like a whole half of a minute. He really wasn't near by and worse of all, everything about this area looked new to her. Foliage was nonexistent this time. Instead, the place looked more apt to be a factory of some kind. She walked on ahead and weirdly enough, it started to gently rain. She gritted her teeth and kept moving forward. Waiting out rain alone sucked, and she figured her phone probably still did not work in the other world, so she pressed onward. Alone.

She was really feeling it this time. Loneliness.

The sky felt bleak, the area felt hallow... Her excitement was running cold... Or was it the rain? She looked up. There was no sky but there was enough rainfall for her eyes to squint to protect from the droplets. She felt too prideful to call for Kris again, and she doubted she would see Lancer anywhere near by. At least have some poor by-stander she could vent on!

"Yo! Is there anyone around?! Or is it some new ghost town?! Geeze!" Finally, she heard signs of life here. It was the sound of a heavy can rolling by into view. "Show yourself! I'm bored!"

"Do you have to be so loud?" The voice sounded like an old digital recording. "Are you always loud?"

"Well, for as long as I can't see you, yeah!" She waited with her arms crossed in a way that showed she had sharp claws ready to roll just in case. What literally rolled onto stage surprised her, it was a boxy robot looking like a glorified cassette player balanced on one wheel. It had goofy large gloves and an old fashioned antenna. "Whoa, a retro 'bot."

"Wow, why don't you just call me old."

"Hey, you said it not me." Susie shrugged with a toothy grin. Already talking to something—someone, had alleviated some of the cold dread she was beginning to feel. She was distracted enough to ignore the drizzling rain. "But who cares about age or looks right now. Did you see someone else go by?"

"I saw a few pass by here, actually! Two look alike and strange!"

"Look alike how? Like a human?"

"A human? Hm. I don't know how to describe what a 'human' is. Can you help me out here?"

"Yeah they're like... shaped a little like me. They don't have a maw or anything, their mouths are flat and weird. A pointy small thing on their faces they claim to be a nose. Goofy looking ears on the side of their heads uh... The hair varies a lot? Not like manes..."

"Yeah yeah! I saw two of those!"

"Was one in armor?"

"Yes! The other one wasn't. They had a bea-u-tii-full dress! The other "human" kept something in glass that was glowing red~ It reminded me of one of my favorite fairy tales! I couldn't see what it was, but the way that human could leap was ah-may-zing! I wish I had legs like theirs... Anyway. You can only go straight ahead from here!"

Susie cooly walked up ahead but stopped when next to the uniwheel robot. She turned her head to the side and down before she said, "come with me."

"Oh! Are you inviting me out?"

"Tch." She whipped her head back up and walked ahead. "Don't make it sound like a date, weirdo. It's your turf, don't you think it's a good idea to show others around it?"

"Ohoho~ Not really, but if it allows me to be in the spotlight then sure?" The robot then wheeled over beside her unable to stop to keep up with her. "My assigned name is Matt Note, may I have the privy to yours?"

"Assigned, huh." She thought about it for a moment. She could get how a robot would say that but... "I guess we're all 'assigned' names now that you put it that way. Anyway, I go by Susie." Everyone is given a name. Her parents gave her the name Suzanne and along the way 'Susie' kinda just happened, no matter how irritable she gotten about it.

"Susie! What a pretty name! How I long for a cute name too... But I can make do with mine, maybe spruce it up a little."

"Eh, don't force it... Someone else might give ya one when the moment's right or even when there's no moment. Names are like that."

"You don't say?" It was a genuine question from the romantic robot.

"Yeah. We're born and come with a given name and whatever else that comes along the ride. Y'know how you work with having one wheel and how I'm bigger than almost everybody? I even know a dude with no arms and it doesn't get him down at all. Created, born, it's the same thing to me—and not worth thinkin' about." She had her fingers pressed on her temple. She felt an oncoming drag in the form of a mild headache. "So to change the topic, what's out here?"

"Oh. More things like me. Gears, bolts, electricity and various mech." Matt Note waved a hand as to say it wasn't much. "I hate it here. I want splendor, glamour... entertainment! You won't find any of that here besides at the theater, but that's a ways off! On the way over there, though, is ruins of a kingdom in the way. What kept that jank together was the old seal of the strongest shop keep! Such drama~"

Susie wasn't surprised to hear about there being more robots in the immediate area. She just hoped they were as variable as the last place was. They had all kinds of creatures there and so much to see. She didn't have much interest in tech, but she figured she can't be too picky with being back into The Dark World again. Although she listened, one word had really stood out to her to weave the conversation around it.

"Ruins? Whew boy we gotta find the human I'm lookin' for." She did play some video games and the last time she was here, it was kind of like being in one. Ruins always, always had puzzles in them. "See, he's good at puzzles. I would wanna smash everything in, and from experience, that doesn't work."

"I see. Despite being a type of computer I don't really care for puzzling either so let us find this..."

"Kris. Also that other may be human that's carrying a red thing sounds like it belongs to me. I spotted it first!"

"What is it? I felt vibes from it..."

"I dunno. It's a heart with legs and it seems to be alive too. I wanna at least show it off to my friend."

"Well, I wasn't keeping tabs on time... but it wasn't long after you appeared that the other 'maybe' human frolicked off with it. I'm not going to make my wheel go any faster cause I only got one."

"Heh don't worry." Susie said before willing her ax into existence again. "I can stop them in their tracks from a mile away. You want splendor, drama and entertainment, right? Wait until you catch me in a fight!"

The wheel screeched too a halt and their hands covered their face as if they had a gaping mouth to cover.

"You're going to fight?"

Susie casually stopped to give Matt Note her attention. It was truly no big deal to her.

"Yeah. Why not? I don't think anyone gives up a treasure without one and I'm sure as hell ready to fight for it. If the treasure keeper is a wuss then there won't be a fight I guess. I don't feel like hearin' Ralsei's mouth."

"Oh my, you personally know dear Prince Ralsei? I hear he's the sweetest fluff~"

"Yeah. He's Saccharine. He's supposed to channel some of that energy into a cake, though. So we gotta go near by uh—Card kingdom? Whatever it was called-"

"That's the ruins, though?"

Susie halted and turned around again before saying, "wha? I was just there? What do you mean ruins?"

"Recently it collapsed. Ralsei was over there too and had to go back to his-"

"Wait-" She waved her free hand in front of her for Matt Note to stop talking, to go back a few steps. "Is everyone dead or something?" Her voice had heightened and it didn't go back down in pitch as she continued. There was a slight tremble of...fear in it. "How does a whole place fall apart but this area seems alright?"

"I don't know what happened or how it happened. All I know is that the kingdom fell apart and Ralsei went back to his castle. There's a few witnesses wandering around too. One of them kept me company before moving on. So I wouldn't say everyone is dead but... it's a mess over there."

"Kch..." Susie tensed. Her free hand clenched into a tight fist, and the one holding her ax over her shoulder shook. She doubt the robot would know about Lancer or his rotten dad... She felt like she had to go on ahead. "I know you said you don't want to go faster, but d'you mind if I do? I gotta...I gotta get going!"

The robot's knuckles rested on the sides of itself like one would do if they had hips to be sassy with.

"Yes I mind, but that doesn't mean I can stop you either. We only just met, so I get it." It flicked its wrist at her to carry on. "I'll keep making my way forward. So we will meet again, Sew~See~ I'm certain. Ciao!"

Had it been any other time someone had said her name like that, she would've glared them down. All Matt Note received was a quick leer before she sprinted off.

It had stopped raining, but Susie didn't stop running. She didn't count the minutes and she couldn't take in the world around her. Everything blurred into the sound of hallow wind in her ears. It wasn't long before it felt like she was running to no where.

"..."

And stopped.

She hated this burning feeling in her eyes. The feeling of splinters in her throat... She felt small for pawing at her eye with the back of her hand, no matter how strong it was. It brought her back to being in a corner as a small girl. She did not cry, she refused. ...But the urge was putting up a challenging fight with her. Her ax left her in favor of resting her hand over her chest. It felt like something was unfurling inside where her heart should be. Clenching it felt like it was keeping it at bay but it felt like... she didn't have the choice either. That a nightmare was bubbling through the cracks of her fingers-

"Suzanne?"

"Huh-" Susie gasped and looked up. If it weren't for the armor or the small bicolored cape, she wouldn't have known that was Kris who reached out to her with words. He was about a yard away from her but she could see his bangs was no longer covering his face, it was gently combed to the side revealing both of his crimson eyes. She couldn't recall a time she saw them so clearly but... they had no sheen to them, it was almost...unnerving. His voice also came out... lighter. The depth of the pitch was the same but it was delivered with less of a pause... It was when he walked up to her to close the gap she realized something else. "What did you call me-"

"I said your name. Suzanne." He said so firmly. A hand rested on his hip where the hilt of his sword was and another hand curled under his chin a little.

"Why-" She shook her head to get herself back together. Her voice wasn't normal either, it was feathery and showed vulnerability. She disguised clearing her throat behind a growl and a glint of her yellow eyes. "Why did you go off so far?! You completely left me behind!"

"He did no such thing." The body in front of her leaned all their weight on the left leg where the sword was, hand never leaving it either... "I was searching for him on you. I did not expect-"

"What the hell are you blabbering about, Kris?!" She felt a cold chill wash down her neck to her finger tips. "I'm not in the mood for stupid games! Knock it off!"

"I am not playing with you." Still calm, firm, if not stern. There was an odd cold confidence that was extremely different to Susie, not that this person cared. "I did not expect him to not catch you. Did you not see him at all? The red soul."

"The red wha-" She gasped again, froze even, as her mind played back the recent memory. The little red thing hopping up and down. Leading her to the closet... "No! Shit! You're kidding! That doesn't make sense?! How is Kris a heart—a soul? What?" She did not feel comfort in the way a familiar face narrowed their eyes at her... He felt like a stranger all over again. She felt so uncomfortable she forgot to mention a vital detail about Kris' apparent where abouts. "You called that Kris, but you're not against me calling you Kris. So what is it, huh?!"

The narrowed expression did not lift much, but it did a little. A frown was clear and evident on the face... Kris or whomever was driving the body was...thinking. They lifted a hand in a motion to 'stop' at her getting ready to yell again. This did not feel like Kris at all. They were too cool, confident, and very collected. Too serious and proper too...!

"Never mind that for now, he is in danger as he is. You saw him, where did you last see him-"

"At least tell me something first!"

"The answer is too complicated for that now! Along the way I could tell you, but we must make haste!" 'Please' was at the tip of their lips but a prideful streak was spotted in the personality of this body. Susie knows, she does the same as this person.

"A robot here saw it in a glass jar held by a maybe human. But if they said they looked like you...then it probably confirms it. You came, then the other human came, then me..."

"We need to hurry." The whomever controlling Kris stated and went east. It couldn't have been north, they came from there. It wasn't south, Susie came from there. It was either east or west, and they hoped to make a lucky guess. They were not as lucky as 'Kris', anything but. "Fortunately there are no foes. I do not think a darkner can react to a soul."

"Huh?" Susie quickly followed, this person was quicker than Kris. So Kris could move faster if he used the energy to do it...! "What would a soul do to a monster?"

"It is complicated-"

"Are you just being lazy?!"

"I am being honest. I will explain to you when the time is right."

"And when is that?! I can multitask! Wouldn't you fuck off to somewhere when we get Kris back?! Are you avoiding me?!"

"When we retrieve Kris. And no, and also no." The mystery answered all of Susie's questions, remaining steadfast on propelling forward. Had she not been so angry, she could see the two of them were on the same page to some extent. They were protective of Kris. "I could live without him. But that is opposite of what I want."

Susie tripped in her speed walking, but did not fall over nor stop. She felt her own heart skip a confusing beat, like it resonated with that statement. She was rendered silent... It was hard to find the words with the weight of her emotions. With the confusion of this trip going disastrously wrong. There was silence between them. With that silence, and the concentration of the mystery entity looking for a way into the building... An idea dimly shone on her like a flicking bulb in the darkness.

"What happened."

The body turned around, an eyebrow raised. They could still sweat, there were beads running down their forehead. Their eyes were dull, but their mouth and eyebrows still conveyed emotion. Strain, and... empathy? Maybe. Something.

"Elaborate?" They even sounded less harsh.

"That turned Kris into that, that got him in trouble. What happened." She swallowed and clenched her fist at the hesitation again. She did not want to be avoided anymore, at least not with this question.

"Tch..." Another gesture Susie was relating to. This whole scenario was this person's fault. It was all their fault, they knew it, and they acknowledged it. They wanted to fix it, but they felt bad and guilty inside, and to let it out was hard, but importantly... they were trying. Their fists were balled too, like hers. "I just...I wanted to be here. I wanted to know what the fountain meant. What this world meant. I did not want to wait for you. He did not care, he promised to be with you so I... tossed him like a softball." The shared(?) face blushed as their balled fists went up and down in a flustered emotion. "We done this before! He came back before! Many times when we did not agree! I expected him to be with you! I never been without him!"

They whipped around and slammed their sword into the double-leaved door that was made of such heavy metal. There wasn't a scratch or a dent.

"I learned I have no power without him! So I stopped moving and waited! But I realized it also meant he has no power either! I am frustrated of my shortsighted decision!"

You're scared..

Susie walked up to them and placed her hands on familiar shoulders. They jumped under her palms and soulless eyes looked up. Despite the lack of brightness and sheen, the fear was clear, so clear, and it almost felt like looking into a mirror...

We just became friends... but I feel the same way. I'm scared without him.

"Thanks." It was an awkward start from Susie, but maybe the thanks will come to this ghostly being in hindsight when the drama was over. Susie said what she said, and felt she could move onto the next step. "I can tell you got a good head on your shoulders even though you don't feel like it right now. I can do all the heavy work, but you," she tapped the forehead before she continued. "Keep this clear okay, and we can do it. We will find him." She watched as they slowly looked away to the door. They quietly stared as if they were meditating, almost. "He's in there, huh?"

"...I cannot be certain but-"

"Yeah, he's in there, you just think too hard." She patted shoulders under her hands before she spoke more. "Step aside, you somebody. This door is goin' down." She was pleased to be listened to, it even felt like trust. She willed her ax back, the bridge had a purple aura dance atop it. She admired it, no way she could channel her magic like this in the over world without breaking laws. Still, she had a job to do and a friend to find. She sprinted forward and swung her ax at it. The doors split down and open in a single strike of hers. Inside there was light made from lonely light bulbs every few paces... soft sounds of weary engines... With her bum rush, there's no way to tell if the doors was doctored close or not, but it was worth looking, maybe.

"... No. Not there. I am certain." They turned around. "We will have to back track and then go west." They combed fingers through their hair to try to calm themselves as well as keep the strands out of their eyes.

"Fine. I'll take your word for it. Is now a good time, though?"

"Mm." They agreed but still paused to mull things over. They wanted to make this short and prompt... to the point somehow. "We decided on the name Kris because it sounded like our names together. However, it is up to him to reveal to you the other half of the locket." They elegantly placed a hand over their armored chest. "I am Chara."

It felt so weird to say that name... They hadn't heard it in so many years. It technically didn't exist anymore beside in memory. It felt like speaking it out into The Dark World was alright, though. It felt like some memories were just meant to be here. That was why... That was why Chara wanted to be here so much. To learn, to comb the secrets of this place. It felt so familiar for a place that's supposed to be another world. That robot looked familiar, Ralsei looked familiar... They remember a strange monster mentioning the name Susie before here and now here a Susie was... They shook their head to cease the disorganization.

"I want to call you Suzanne-"

"Why?"

"Because I like it. ...It is a selfish answer, and I have a just as selfish request. Could you please honor the name Kris?"

"Hmph," Susie turned away and crossed her arms. It was goofy looking with such a large ax in the mix of that. 'Liked' Suzanne... Something so simple stuck, and it was annoying... But not as annoying like gum. Maybe more like glitter. "When he's back. I don't want to lose sight of the other person I know. I know Kris. You won't tell me what his name was. You sound like some kinda ghost."

"I was one, yes, and found a home in...Kris. I think it would be more meaningful for Kris to tell you rather than hear it all from me. But you have met me too. You laughed at my masterpieces town folk called pranks. You heard me play the piano..."

She thought about it. Those were all years ago when they were little children and not teenagers verging onto insanity and misadventures in a pocket space. That's why this ghost called her Suzanne. 'Susie' plagued her middle school years until she reclaimed it for herself in high school. ...But it did make her wonder if she should carry it into college. Maybe.

"Did you draw those weird drawings back then?" She watched as the 'ghost' walked ahead and followed, expecting an answer, even as their feet carried them faster and faster.

"Yes. I am not going to divulge in secrets, you will have to figure it out yourself."

"Oh I will. I am going to make sense of this. So far I know ghosts are different from souls for one! And that you're possessing for another!"

"Heh...Maybe." Susie wasn't completely wrong. Chara was once a bitter child with the weight of a sad little world on her shoulders. Lost to zealous suicide and then brought back to life by the sheer kindness to all the other half of Kris used to be. So kind he had always risked himself to make the impossible possible, and in that very kindness abandoned everything to save her too. Chara respected that, they felt...indebted almost, even with their disagreements. Sometimes it felt like being a sibling to oneself over the long years they've spent together here in Hometown, surrounded by familiar faces but different monsters all the while...

And Chara just didn't feel like explaining that. Chara felt that one day they would disappear into each other and be Kris for real, as scary as it was... As much as she interrupted it like now by tossing Kris out again and again when it felt like it was happening. It felt like wasted time giving that story. There was no point, that world is far away and gone (maybe). There was also no way to promptly explain it...

"Don't "maybe" me! I'll deck you!-And don't run faster! Hey!"

Time was fleeting.

There was a hollowness inside without a soul, especially without Kris. But somehow this ghostly person could still...feel good in the company of Susie. Even with mistakes, it felt like everything would be okay. Maybe she was not so unlucky, maybe the luck was Kris. Kris who represents the two of them, their agreed upon wish, their agreed upon name, their shared suffering... and the shared good times.

But as it stood, maybe this would be the time to feel in control for awhile before trying to be reborn as Kris again. And again and again and again...-