"It's okay to like him."

Susie turned to the human, eyes wide. Not from what she heard; she didn't even really hear whatever Kris was saying. Rather, she was caught off guard by the fact that Kris said anything at all. They were alone, now, only accompanied by the faint breeze above. The sun had set just a few minutes ago, though the moon's pale light was stubborn in its defiance to fade into pure blackness. Suffice to say, there wasn't much around the accompanying forest of Hometown to dominate Susie's ear holes, so she heard Kris's words with perfect clarity. That still wasn't enough to assuage her befuddlement.

"What?" she blurted out, staring at the thin line of Kris's mouth. They made no point of reaction, only shrugging in response to Susie's incredulity. The monster tilted her head, wondering if some animal in the forest was the real culprit of whatever she'd heard. In a place like Hometown, that probably wasn't too unrealistic. Susie shook her head, moving a hand up to clear whatever blockages might've impaired her hearing. "What did- did you just say something, Kris?"

Kris nodded, lazily parting some of their hair to reveal a disinterested red eye. "Yeah," they replied. "I said it's okay to like him."

Still Susie stared at the human, befuddled at the mere existence of their voice. She's heard them speak before, obviously, but something about them sounded… different. At the very least, she couldn't remember the last time Kris actually said something that wasn't just some reaction or overly dramatic line intended to pacify a would-be murderer.

"...huh," Susie eventually let out. She scratched her bare shoulder, half-consciously remembering the reason she could feel the breeze so well and relaxing at the fact. "You're just… I dunno, you're usually pretty quiet, dude."

Kris nodded, letting out a half of a sigh. "I know."

The light of the evening was still fading, though it wasn't hard to see Susie's hand linger on the scales of her shoulder. The hesitation as her hand passed over her latest wardrobe addition was a bit more difficult to discern, though Kris had an eye for reading people (not to mention that Susie wasn't exactly a subtle person). They could see Susie's brain digest the fact of Kris's functioning vocal cords for a couple more seconds before she tensed suddenly, reading the content of the phrase rather than its existence.

"And- what's that s'posed to mean?" Susie moved her arms together in a defensive cross, shoving her snout to the side as if she was trying to show off her freckles. The pink scarf waved passively in the breeze, almost hidden in the girl's mess of hair. "Duh, it's okay to like him. It's kinda hard not to, if you haven't noticed."

Kris had to smile at Susie's mocking tone, as if Ralsei's friendly nature was so openly agreeable that any other opinion was absurd. It was a far cry from the vehemently violent threats and malicious teasing Suse had first met Ralsei with. A few moments passed as Kris waited for her to hear her tone and try to downplay the implicit compliment she'd just given their caprine companion. This time, though, she did no such thing. Hearing the silence, Susie looked back at Kris, confused by whatever their quiet was trying to say. Usually the subtleties of their expression gave Susie a good enough idea.

Coming up with nothing, Susie shrugged, pupils scanning over the dark red doors that had taken Ralsei just a few minutes ago. Her eyes lingered on the door's handles, and Kris could see an idea start to form in her head. Though, the idea didn't seem to get very far.

"C'mon," Susie sighed. Kris could almost see her drop the idea like a child having to let go of their favorite toy. "We should head home before your mom freaks out."

Kris hummed, opting not to push it. "Okay."

Susie's eyebrows furrowed into a contemplative valley. She stepped past Kris, weathered boots trampling the grass underfoot in a purposeful stride as she ripped herself away from the doors. "Still super weird to hear you, dude. Uh, no offense."

Kris began their own stride, having to walk just a little faster to keep up with the monster's longer legs. "None taken."

The two fell into silence, the quiet of the forest taking over as the hole in their trio made itself known. Susie had slowed her brisk pace, giving Kris the opportunity to walk next to her rather than behind her. Kris watched her in silence; watching people was something of a habit, and Susie's outward nature when it came to how she was feeling was particularly hard to look away from, even disregarding the friendship that had grown between her and Kris. She tried in vain not to look to the stars peeking out from behind the clouds above them, followed by her trying to throw her arms up behind her head in an effort to relax. Inevitably, just as Kris predicted, her claws ended up hooked against the scarf around her neck, rubbing the cloth like it was a fragile kitten. The most peculiar thing was the lack of unawareness or daydreaming in her expression; she knew Kris could see her doing what she was, and that didn't stop her.

"Y'know, uh…" Susie started. Her voice was little more than a whisper at first. "I kind of… wanted to ask you something, Kris."

The girl turned to Kris, not quite pleading or desperate, but not entirely curious, either. Kris nodded forwards towards her, hands politely behind their back. "Go ahead."

Susie's back visibly straightened at the response. "Still not used to you sayin' so much… uh, no offense. Again."

A slight smirk pulled Kris's mouth to the side, which also surprised Susie. "It's alright," they assured her. Honestly, they'd expected her to barely even recognize them. Being treated as the friend that they wanted to be was a pleasant enough feeling for Kris to continue. "I understand. I… try to stay quiet."

Susie let out a snort of a laugh, husky voice reverberating off the trees lining their path. "Yeah, not so much when it comes to flirtin' though, huh?"

Kris rolled their eyes, deciding against saying much about that. The less Susie knew, the better. Still, it was hard to suppress the slight grin pulling at their features. "Anyways, what did you want to ask?"

Susie rolled her own eyes in response, hearing Kris's plea to shift subjects. The sharp smile died down over the next few seconds, anxiety filling her muscles like a rising tub of concrete. "Uh, yeah, so… I kind of… it might be kinda weird, I guess, but I was wondering if... "

Her words stuttered to an anxious halt. Kris had to bite their tongue, forgoing the friendly teasing of comparing her to Ralsei in favor of just giving her whatever time she needed. The path through the forest was long enough, and Kris wasn't worried enough about the late hour to rush Susie.

Eventually, the girl let out a short huff of air, forcing her question out of her mouth with a rapidly deteriorating confidence. "I was wondering if it'd be cool, with you, if I hang out with Ralsei, uh… alone? Tomorrow. I mean."

While Kris did their best to keep their reaction tame for Susie's sake, it was impossible not to raise their eyebrow a little at Susie's request. She was really thumbing the scarf Ralsei had given her; Kris had to wonder if that was either a nervous habit or her trying to siphon off whatever confidence the cloth might've given her.

"Um," Kris began. Despite what the past few days (or weeks? They couldn't always remember.) might've implied, Kris didn't know how to react to such a question. "Of course? You don't need my permission, Susie."

Susie stumbled for some kind of response, trying to backtrack on her obvious anxiety in a way that Kris was more than familiar with. "Oh, right, yeah. Duh. I know that. I just, y'know… figured that I should let you know, or something."

The monster feigned a cough into the shoulder of her tank-top. "I just didn't wanna seem like an ass for leaving you out, or, y'know… uh, weird."

Kris shook their head, doing their best to give a reassuring smile. They had doubts about their expression's effectiveness, though not for lack of effort. "It's okay, Susie. We don't have to do everything together. And I know how much you like him."

Unsure, Susie's eyes lingered on Kris. The trust between them was there, obviously, but Susie's inexperience with a vocal Kris wasn't helping the usual anxieties that came with her ineptitude with friends. Her chest rose in the air in a deep sigh rivaling the winds up above the trees.

"Cool," she breathed out. They stepped in silence for a short while after, seeing Hometown not too far ahead of them. Kris always thought the path back was longer each time they walked it.

"...it's not weird, right?" Susie asked, even quieter than before. Kris pursed their lips, not expecting the question. Though, understanding Susie gave Kris enough knowledge of her insecurities to know that the question wasn't for no reason. "Like, it's normal to just hang out with him alone, right? He's just really cool. It's not weird or anything."

There was a palpable desperation on the girl's expression. Kris waited for a few moments, mulling over what to say and deciding to go with their gut.

"It's not weird," Kris told her. Their shoes slowed to match the shorter steps Susie had subconsciously adopted. "Like I said, it's okay to like him. You guys get along really well. I think he'd like the date."

That seemed to trip the bear trap. Susie's pace grinded to a halt, inciting Kris to do the same. A mixture of shock and sudden anger flashed on her features, which would've been a lot more intimidating if it wasn't for the burning blush deepening her freckles. Rather than any explosive denial or violent outburst, Susie clenched her claws at her sides and relaxed them a few times.

"I never said-" she began, her voice as level as it was quiet. Despite the obvious restraint Susie was employing, Kris didn't get the idea that they were in any real danger outside of some draconic shouting shattering their eardrums. Susie didn't allow herself to yell, only speaking like she was trying to pacify an opponent that had just attacked Ralsei. "It is not a date."

Kris's gaze lingered on Susie, noticing how she was struggling to avoid thumbing the scarf wrapped around her neck. Again, Kris opted to speak honestly, though had to hope that Susie wouldn't misread their intentions. "It doesn't have to be if you don't want it to be. But there's nothing wrong with it if it is."

Susie took another deep breath, now sounding more like she was trying to calm her nerves rather than prepare herself for an awkward question. Her claws eventually relaxed with the rest of her posture. The monster's reddened expression was another story.

"It's not a date," she repeated. It sounded like she was talking more to herself than Kris. "I'm just hanging out with a really cool friend. That's it."

Like a robot, she forced her legs into motion, continuing the path through the forest. Kris followed once more. Part of them wanted to reassure Susie, though another part was still surprised that she reacted to the notion so defiantly. With how she'd casually given Ralsei her jacket (compounded with how readily Ralsei gave her his scarf), Kris had thought that she had gotten more comfortable with how she felt around Ralsei. Maybe she wasn't as aware of how outward her emotions had gotten as Kris had assumed.

Silence reigned once again as the human and the monster walked through the forest, now considerably quicker. Tree branches swayed above them as the sky continued dimming, more and more specks of light dotting the blue. Susie's rushed pace had slowed in tandem, as did the tense brace of her muscles she'd forced herself to hold. Though, the length of her hair blocked whatever expression Kris might've been able to see. Just as Kris thought to clarify what they'd meant by "liking Ralsei," Susie suddenly stopped in place. Her snout raised itself to the sky as she let her head roll back into her scarf, a deep huff of air rumbling through her entire torso like a groaning train. Curious, Kris stopped as well.

"Goddamint," Susie muttered to herself. Based on experience, Kris expected her to yell some directionless frustration into the sky, but no such call left her lips. The girl shook her head, looking back to the human with a persistent blush that wasn't quite concealed in the night's dimness. "Look, even if it was a date-"

Her words fell to an abrupt halt. Kris waited patiently, trying to both pay polite attention and not stare at Susie's nonplussed frustration. It was an interesting expression. After three attempts at saying something, Susie forced her voice into motion like a cat into a bathtub. "All I'm saying, is- look, I just want to hang out with him, okay? He's fun. To hang out with."

Kris nodded. "I understand," was all they said in return.

Susie nodded back matter-of-factly. "Right, and like, I'm not saying I wanna date him, or anything… weird, like that, but…"

Her voice picked up speed, not quite brisk or loud with confidence, but still brimming with a vulnerable honesty that preemptively interrupted Kris. "I mean, you've seen how fun he can be, right? Nice, too, and he's still that nice with me of all people… plus, y'know, his stories are great, and he just… cares so much about everyone, y'know? He makes you feel… good, and special, and safe, and…"

The list drifted off into quiet, countered by the few chirps of grasshoppers hiding in the grass around them. Cautious, Kris waited, uncertain as to how long Susie had been waiting to gush over Ralsei. Probably since Ralsei had given her his scarf. Kris filled in the gap for Susie, reading her expression.

"...loved?"

Susie's eyes drifted towards the human, a rare softness in the slits of her pupils. "...yeah. Loved."

Her expression had gotten so serene over so few words that Kris had to assume some part of her fluster earlier was forced. Susie allowed herself to relax, eyes moving to the grass underfoot as she continued unimpeded. "And he can just be so sweet, y'know? Like when he was asking about our favorite cake flavors, or when he picked those flowers, or when he gave me his scarf…"

There was an audible pause in Susie's words as she moved a claw to her new scarf. A gentle smile revealed some of her mouth's golden teeth, though the rest of her expression countered the dangerous nature of her fangs. "Thanks for being cool about the whole 'trading clothes' thing, by the way."

Kris smirked at the memory, knowing Susie didn't fake some Lightener tradition intending to mess with Ralsei. Admittedly, they'd considered throwing Susie into the deep end, but seeing how her guard melted around Ralsei, it probably wouldn't be too long before the story would just get laughed off with him in company.

Leaning into the plush fabric of her scarf, Susie spoke again, devoid of any bluster that she had only minutes ago. "And, y'know how when, sometimes after a fight, his glasses get kinda crooked, and he doesn't even notice, or those little tufts of fur push his hat up a little, he's just… I dunno, huggable, I think? Like he looks like an oversized plushie or something. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

There was another word Susie might've wanted to say, though she might as well have already said it in tandem. Kris allowed their grin to widen, listening to their friend's candor. "So, yeah, who wouldn't wanna hang out with him? But…"

The monster's features suddenly fell, and she looked to the ground with an unfamiliar regret, as unexpected as it was out of place. "...I-I dunno man, like… yeah, I like Ralsei. I like him a helluva lot. But… he's awesome, and sweet, and I can't like him that much, 'cause I'm just…"

Kris's brow furrowed, realizing why Susie was so opposed to their terminology as she finished speaking. "I'm just me."

The last syllable almost got lost to the wind around them as Susie huddled into her scarf. Leaves swayed in the breeze, their reds and yellows dimmed in the moon's light. Kris felt their mouth open almost instinctively.

"Don't sell yourself short," they assured Susie. Her yellow eyes moved up a fraction as the human moved closer, speaking honestly. "You're nicer than you think. And like I said, you and Ralsei really get along. He might not notice it, but I know he likes you as much as you like him, if not more."

Susie seemed hesitant to take Kris's word, though that felt more due to a lack of confidence than a lack of trust. "What makes you say that?" she asked. Hearing the tinge of hope in her voice, Kris continued.

"Well, you've seen him, haven't you? How much he smiles when he's around you, or how he pretends not to stare at you in-between fights…"

Kris had to grin at the memories. "He's not really good at being secretive."

Neither was Susie, but Kris didn't want her to miss their point and decided to leave that part out. Apparently, she missed the point anyways, now looking to the side in a frustrated pout. "I mean, come on, he's always smiling, and- wait, stares at me? What do you mean?"

The latter half of Susie's statement was so much more incredulous that it might as well have come from a completely different person. Kris had to suppress a laugh at how quick her brain was to get attached to the notion.

"Yeah. I'm kind of surprised you don't notice." Kris nonchalantly moved to adjust their shirt's collar, faking a disinterested tone. "Especially since you look at him so much yourself."

Susie couldn't quite contain the surprise on her face. If she had heard Kris's last comment, she didn't show it. "...huh," she let out. The handful of apprehensions and insecurities were gone from her features, replaced by a bashful disbelief as she digested the fact. "Why's that, you figure?"

Kris rolled their red eyes again. Part of Susie's question was knowing, though there was a genuine edge of skepticism that pushed Kris further. "Come on, you know why. Do you really want me to spell it out for you?"

Susie almost answered Kris's question, though she was too preoccupied with trying to both indulge in and deny the implicit compliment to say much beyond mumbling to herself. Seeing the persistence of Susie's glumness, Kris opened their mouth again.

"I meant what I said, Susie." They put as much honesty into their tone as they could; not just in trying to make the most of their voice while they had it, but in trying to help their friend. "You guys both like each other a lot. I'm not saying you have to date him, but if you want to, it wouldn't be weird, or bad, or anything like that. I think you and Ralsei are good for each other."

The assurance hung in the air for some time. Kris watched carefully as Susie let herself out of her scarf, hands moving back up to the pink. Even her freckles seemed hopeful. "You really think so?"

"I do," Kris replied. The simplicity of their assurance gave Susie enough confidence for a slight smile to grow on her features. There was a mandatory handful of seconds as she let herself realize Kris's message. Then she reanimated herself, stepping next to Kris and wasting no time in putting a rough hand on their back, nearly knocking them over from the force.

"You gotta speak up more often, dude!" she exclaimed, reclaiming her boisterous nature like it'd never been lost in the first place. Kris struggled to regain their breath, but it was impossible not to smile even a little at Susie's spirits.

"H-ha," they tried laughing in between coughs. "I'll see what I can do."

Susie nodded affirmation, crossing her arms with a deep breath of air. The night had finally settled into its dimness, though both the human's and the monster's eyes had adjusted well enough. Seeing Kris shake off Susie's roughness, the girl resumed their walk back home, being followed shortly after. A few seconds passed as they looked about the last couple of trees denoting the forest's edge.

"Thanks, Kris," Susie eventually told them. Kris looked up to her features, a pleasant smile now pushing her cheeks. Wide, but still honest. "I kinda… suck at talking, but I appreciate what you said. A lot. You're a good friend."

It was Kris's turn at being surprised. The human blinked, not expecting the candor. A smile bloomed on their own features like a flower, and they nodded one last time.

"You too."