‟…What's that look for?" - And what's with the blush? His face couldn't even get that red.

Kris's reflection kept its eyes on the floor, cheeks a coral pink. His essence still digesting what had unfolded the previous night.

‟Is it that shocking?" - He looked up towards the Soul, toothbrush in mouth.

‟I… had no idea." - The echo looked away, like the mirror was to stare him down.

There was a soft winter-spring breeze blowing that morning. Like a celebration of the last day of school and beginning of the holidays. Its chilly cold couldn't compare to the warmth on his face.

‟…It's so strange."

‟It's not that strange, everybody does it."

‟W—" - The Soul's view of the world was undermined again. The young human hadn't ever seen him ever react like this.

A small bit of him agreed. He may have gone overboard. As in, to a point where it was concerning to even himself. But could anyone blame him? He'd had more stress in a single school-year than in his whole life. And the internet had just been fixed. Like any normal teenager, he had a limit. He didn't think the Soul would be that startled by it.

‟But it's weird!"

‟What's weird about it?" - Kris was getting a bit embarrassed himself, for one, because of what his partner was talking about. For two, the embarrassment was seeping directly into him, his shared soul acting as a conduit to guide it.

‟You put the that into the, the those, and… I just don't. Get it."

‟You don't have to get it."

‟And- also… you told me humans and monsters can't even have ki-"

‟That doesn't matter. That's not why you do it."

The Soul kept its eyes firmly on the bathroom floor, ‟It's… I never knew."

‟…Be happy you learned something."

The Soul looked out towards the rising sky, like a kid understanding death for the first time. Kris did feel a bit like his irresponsible parent. Which was weird, because he wasn't one… and he'd always thought the Soul was way older than him. Two innocent red eyes flashed in and through the glass.

‟… So… when are we doing it?"

‟…Excuse me?" - Doing that? Didn't he just say he hated it? What's with that turnaround?

‟What if we like it?"

‟Uh… no?"

‟What do you mean no?!"

‟ 'No', until we get a girlfriend. You can't do it, alone." - Did he have to explain this?

‟…We can just ask Su—"

‟Another word and you're back in the box."

Soul was right. It was weird, Humans and monsters can't have kids. Humans being in a relationship with monsters was already unusual. A Human can kill hundreds of monsters without remorse, and it's not pretty when it happens. You see it on the news sometimes, it's why he didn't watch them. An average human is physically stronger than most any monster. In a real fight, monsters don't stand too much of a chance. That's not something you can just gloss over. He was lucky nobody in Hometown minded him being one. To be fair, who his mom and dad were helped a lot, but he knew everyone would have accepted him regardless. For however much backtalk he'd received for being the town's own scary kid, all of it justified by the way, ‟human" was never an insult lobbed at him. That's how nice they were. But that didn't help correct his tastes. He didn't even realize it was weird at first. For him, he was the odd one out for being human, liking monsters wasn't something he even thought to be unusual. He just saw their furry ears twitching and thought they were cute. And claws were pretty. And that shiny smooth fur was nice to the touch. Before he knew it, the young schoolboy was having improper thoughts about his childhood friend. No, not her; her bigger sister. She was 2 years older than him, and was leaving for college at that point. It had… grown into more than just a preference. Human girls were weird. Humans were weird. It had stopped bothering him that others would look at him funny for it. He couldn't change who he was.

That was absolutely not what the Soul found weird. But he had to agree. It was unusual.

‟Can you leave me the mirror? I need to see myself."

‟Why? You look fine." - All his teeth could fall off and the Soul'd still say he looked just fine.

‟Today's a big day." - Kris got a scissor and started leveling the bangs sitting over his face. Won't be touching the mullet in the back though, chicks dig that.

Today? I thought we weren't doing much today."

‟We're not doing much school. Now git."

His partner left him to his business, which was well enough, because he already got the bowl cut wrong. The Soul was worryingly interested in those kinds of topics. Which did not help our young teenager, as his reflection kept blushing even after his buddy left him the mirror. He was ready to just smile and nod through it, like old times.

‟Wait, what are we doing then?" - For as commonly as he popped up, Kris was enjoying the Soul being able to carry a conversation for more than five words. And his mannerisms were peculiarly similar to someone.

‟You don't remember?"

Of course he couldn't remember, he wasn't there.

‟We're giving Noelle a gift. Susie's idea."

‟…Does the gift have anything to do with—"

No"


‟I'm serious! I can walk by myself!" - Noelle's pleas of exasperation resounded through the beige hallways. Both of her hands were being dragged along, feet following hurriedly, trying to balance her. Everyone else was running off to spend their winter holiday, but the three were going right up to the supply closet.
‟I-I'm gonna trip, so please-"

‟I don't think tripping's what you should be worried about." - Susie said, as she tapped on the closet's double doors, flinging them wide open.

‟Then what shou-"

The deep darkness surrounded them, a million years of hate and death spread and spiraled into all that they knew. It was pitch black, darkness.

Actually… it wasn't. But from the terror in Noelle's eyes that's what she saw.

‟G… guys? W-w-w-what… WHAT IS THAT?!"

Let's find out." - Without a beat missed, they both jumped in. With an incredibly scared Noelle lagging down behind them—

Except neither really thought out their landing plans, so instead of doing cool triple airborne back-flips, the descent was more about frantically scrambling to find any cushioning to fall on. Which wasn't very fruitful. Lucky for them, the ground was weirdly soft. It felt more like a tough mattress than a hard floor. It was also weirdly red…?

‟Tsch, damn…" - Seems her tooshie is what Susie used to soften herself.

Better than Noelle falling straight on her face, ‟Owch… Wh-where are we?Wait, what am I wearing!? What are you wearing!? Kris, why is it so dark!? Where's SUSIE!?"

‟Here! Lucky they got us this uh, big mattress, thing."- Susie, despite everything, seemed to be enjoying herself. Mostly at her innocent classmate.

‟Yeah, real nice of 'em…" - Kris was, too, but he got about his fill of teasing the poor girl. He should at least explain the basics.

‟Noelle, this is the Dark World. Per the name, it's filled with dar…" - Wait, Noelle wasright. It was way too dark. Not just ‟dark" like the black void that surrounded all Dark Worlds, it was actually dark. Kris couldn't see more than a few feet past His nose. Someone turned off the lights? There were lights?

‟…Something's up Kris."

‟Yeah."

‟I-I'm glad you two are calm, but could you at least fill mein too!? P-please?!"- Noelle's poofy dress dampened her jittering, but her antlers were like stress relays. Maybe they'd gone too far.

‟Don't worry Noelle. We're probably just being pranked. Lancer'll show up any se-" - While the dinosaur was speaking, a giant robot hand descending from the unknown darkness caught her. It raised with her like it was winding up a baseball.

‟W-HEY!? LET GO OFF ME! WHO THE H-" - Before her swear went off, she was dragged up with the flash of white and blue. Disappearing into the dark.

S-SUSIE!? KRIS!? W-WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" - The reindeer shaking Him wasn't helping. She seemed to be almost hyper-ventilating.

‟Take a deep breath. We'll be alright."

The scared girl hunted for confirmation in His dark red eyes.

‟We will? You really mean that? Y-you're not just saying it to calm me down, right? Right?!"

‟I mean it." - He was trying his best to stay determined. It'd be bad if blood were to rush to his head.

They couldn't let themselves be caught either. Shouldn't be hanging around.

‟Let's proceed forward for now."

‟Hey, Kris… am I… am I having a nightmare?"

‟…How should I know?" - This wouldn't be the time to explain.

‟A-A-Alright…"

The only way forward was covered in the same red carpet that was under their feet. Left and right were blocked by walls made of line dividers stacked on top of each other. Which somehow made them literally impenetrable. They were being welcomed, that was for sure.

There wasn't anything past the rope barriers. No houses in the distance, no light above, nothing to look at. Even the Dark Fountain wasn't on the horizon. It was all empty.

Where was Castle Town?

The path was unnervingly long. With no end or start in sight. What was its purpose? It wasn't there to stop them. Was it to waste their time? He tried to hurry along, before the robot hand, or anything else came to check on them. He felt a girl practically clasping herself onto His back. She was smelling of sweet chestnut and sugarplum. Walking unsteady, and her hands were trembling. It made it harder for both of them to move. She seemed so small in that moment, he almost forgot she was taller than him. It was hard to think of anything besides the breathing on his back. If he had anything else to focus his attention on, he could've ignored it. It really wasn't the time.

‟K-Kris?"

‟What?"

‟I-I'm scared…"

‟We'll be alright."

‟You already said that!"

‟Because I meant it."

He only got a quiet nod in response.

The only thing that remained of Castle Town was the castle itself, finally revealed through the darkness. The rug continued up to the courtyard, and even in through it. Along the main hall, which was completely emptied. Until it stopped under two giant doors, engraved with the mark of the King of Darkness.

Those giant doors.

‟U-uuh…What, what is in there?"

‟No idea." - Ralsei had always said that it ‟wasn't important". Now something was behind it. More than just a something.

‟Only one way to know…" - He looked back at her, she was still reeling from the shock of it all, but marched her head in response.

He pushed his hand on the frame. Ever so slowly, the doors swung inward.


‟Enjoy your table for two, mad-mussel and blue gentle-person." - Lancer said as he twirled his fake mustache, and bounced away. Having done his job of walking them 6 feet to their seats. Two menus descended upon the illuminated small table. Wait, that was wrong. Two 'Menouxs' descended upon their table.

Noelle, looking around, ‟Gosh, I didn't think this is where the dream was gonna go."

He was pissed off. Why was a faux-restaurant behind the door? Where was the throne? Where was Susie? Who made Lancer a valet?

‟And the food isn't even written correctly!" - At least she was enjoying herself. Which was great for him, because explaining everything would take until new year's. He tried to read the menu too, not having much else to read into.

‟This is supposed to be food?" - The items were names of normal food with arbitrary dots placed over the vowels, all written in overwrought gothic calligraphy. Half were also misspelled.

Obviously. They wouldn't put fake foo- Wait, maybe you're right?" - She ducked her head in between the pages of the menu, analyzing whatever the writing meant.
‟Can you even read in dreams? Am I wasting my time?" - The fawn placed her giant opal eyes on him.

‟…Well, you just read it."

‟Oh, yeah… Duh! I'm a bit slow today, sorry-"

From the darkness a slow ripple floated under their table. And out of the familiar shadows, an even more familiar goat emerged. In a familiar enough butler outfit, with an ever-present smile, and ever-present-er prescription glasses.

‟Good afternoon! I hope you two are enjoying your dinner so far. I'm Ralsei, and for tonight I'll be your-" - Before he could finish off the spiel, Ralsei's whole body was bent downward, away from the deer's sensitive ears.

‟(Where'd you take Susie.)"

‟(S-Susie is in her room! We gave her some comic books to keep her busy! She won't bother you two!)"

‟(…Why?)" - Not in the mood for jokes.

‟(P-please don't get upset, Kris. We-we're just trying to build atmosphere!)"

‟(…)" - It was hard to stay mad at those eyes. Reminded him of when he was a kid.

‟(You built the wrong atmosphere.)"

‟(I-I know! I'm sorry! I did tell Queen to be more tactful, but she probably got the wrong idea…)"

‟(Tactful?)"

‟(Uhm, I mean!-)"

‟What are you two whispering about?" - Despite her question, Noelle seemed to be enjoying the night out. It really seemed to be a dinner for two, no strings attached. He'd pry the why out of the goat later. For now, he sat facing her, dropping his mumbling.

‟A-About nothing! What would you two like to order!?" - Ralsei stood to attention with the smallest possible notepad his hands could draw on.

‟I'll get whatever." - All the foods had ‟0D$" written next to them, anyway.

‟I'm sorry but… I can't, read the menu…"

‟Hmm…" - Ralsei pondered his comically small pen on his chin.

‟Oh well! I'll just tell our five star Chef to come up with your food! I'm sure he'll figure something out!" - Chefs usually don't ‟come up" with food.

After doing a routine of awkwardly pouring each of them a glass of sparkling water and putting a basket of mysterious bread between them, their server excused himself. As he left, a set of doors opened along the distance, letting light burst onto the set. For a moment, the full hall, carved with legends of the delta rune, was visible, before being covered by the shadows rooted around their table. Back to the dim light of 6 wax candles. Leaving him, again, with nothing else to focus on. Noelle's floaty dress gave her a very different image than the classic Christmas Slipover. It was less wound-up, it didn't care about fitting nicely over her, also made her look appropriately cold. Her hair was smoother in the Dark World, for some reason… He preferred its normal roughness though. Noelle with straight hair looked too much like her mom.

There he was, staring at her again. He shouldn't even like her.

‟…You know, pink really fits you Kris!"

‟Thanks. Your dress is nice too." - His scarf was happy to be complimented as well.

‟T-thank you!… I didn't choose to wear it though. I just kind of had it on…" - Noelle was trying to find anything to look at that wasn't his face.

‟Not like I'd have chosen pink either."

‟Fahaha- I guess." - He knew it was a polite laugh. He still felt good hearing it.

‟…W-wait, I almost forgot! Where's Susie?!"

‟Susie's fine, she's just …busy." - Susie would probably biologically reject the atmosphere set up at that able… And, three really was a crowd.

‟Then what was up with the huge robot arm?!."

‟It's basically a taxi." - Kidnap taxi.

I-Is it? Gosh, this world is weird! I was so worried!"

‟You're telling me?"

For real! I thought we'd never see her again!"

‟What a nightmare that'd be."

Her half-lit-up face was angled down, looking at a reflection of everything that was happening, ‟I…"

Kris…Is…Is this really a dream?" - Noelle had her 'silly face' up when she asked. Like she knew the boy in her dreams would fess up. ‟Good job Noelle, you figured it out!"

‟What gave it away?" - In the end, she would've found out the truth that same day. She was going to leave the Dark World and go home, so there was no point in keeping it a secret.

‟Well… You're too… n-nice?"

‟…Sorry?" - Was he supposed to be mean? Was he out of character?

‟No, I mean-! You always pull weird pranks on me!
I-In in my dreams! Not in real life, I mean…"

‟…Sorry for that?" - What would the appropriate response to that be? He was the one who hadgiven poor Noelle nightmares for years, he shouldn't have been surprised. It stung though.

‟…And, uhm… I've never seen you so blue(?) before"

‟Yeah, that too."

‟So I'—… Wait, If this is a dream, how do I know you're not lying?!"

Maybe it was because her guard was down, but she was so much more expressive than he usually saw her. Like in the Cyber World long enough ago; Noelle was just being a girl. Kris would be lying to himself if he said he didn't find it really cute. He could at least find it cute. She was cute, not his fault. He didn't like her. Her fault for being so cute.

‟…Well, I can't say for sure. But I'm pretty certain you're notdreaming."

‟Oh, phew Wait, w-where are we then?"

‟…Remember that time we were gonna do research for our group projects?"

‟Oh! Is that, when-"

The doe sat speechless, her giant beaver tooth for the world to see. Good that only he was looking.

‟Wait… don't- don't tell me-
Then…"

Three silent moments passed over both of them.

THEN YOU TWO REMEMBER EVERYTHING!?" - Noelle almost jumped on the table, only being stopped by the uneven vase of golden flowers placed next to the 2 in 1 Salt & Sugar Shaker.

Y-yeah."

‟Even Queen? The giant Ferris wheel?! Wait, even the mannequins? Was Berdly real!?"

‟Berdly was… what Ferris wheel?" - Was there an ad for one? It's been a long time. The young student didn't remember.

‟—Oh, the Ferris wheel!" - The soft orange light shimmered in her opal eyes.

‟I was uhm… I was stuck in my room! And, and Susie barged in, and saved me- and she cheered me up for some reason? Then… Gosh! A giant Ferris wheel was there, right outside the room! We rode together and it was awesome and I-I still don't really get it… But I still think about it, sometimes…"

‟Wait, wait- no!- I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

‟Don't worry. I'm happy for you."

‟Oh… thanks, Kris. I thought you'd get mad."

That gentle smile, and those upturned eyes… Noelle really was a nice girl. He was a dumb, dumb idiot for forgetting. She was a teenage girl. Trying her best. Just like anyone else. What was the asshole in his body thinking the past few months? Could he send a message back in time, and forget all about that? Whatever. If they could be friends, that was enough. He discovered he really liked having friends that he could care about. What did it matter if she liked him or not?

He couldn't deny he was blushing though… Not his fault he was having dinner (technically, it was lunch) with such a pretty girl. He had probably been blushing a deep purple since the start. He swore it probably wasn't him. He didn't even normally blush. It wasn't him. It was hard to know.

‟Now I seriously hope I'm not waking up afterward! You're being honest, right Krismass?!"

‟Why would I lie about that?"

‟I don't know, to trick me? Just to see how I'd react?"

‟I'd never."

‟You so would! Remember when you thr—"

All her words, his thoughts, and every other sound in that room was overpowered by an obnoxiously loud and extremely overbearing theme song consuming the stage. Now remixed with mandolins.

‟SILENCÉ WORMS! 'CHEF ROYALE' has cometh to deliver thine ordere!" - Rouxls was at least twice as good a chef as last time, signified by his chef hat becoming twice as tall. A few months more, and it'd grow taller than the dark fountain itself.

Two Giant metal-food-cover-things fell and shook the table.

‟FIRSTLY! Mônsiær's food!"

‟THE ‟Lé Foie Grâz" with ingredientës picked straight frome our ‟baséménté"! Created frome ouṙ fineste (and singular!) Cauldron!"

‟Such delicacionês are WASTEDE on an unrefined paleté such as Thours! Sav̇ὅure its riche flavour and WEEPE (withe Joy!)!"

The metal-covering raised into the air to reveal… Something. Something that looked edible. Like some light brown mousse, with some red-sauce-thingy around it… and decorative blade of grass. No, sword of grass.

‟AND! Mônsierita's food!" - He still didn't turn his head. He actually hadn't moved an inch, his hat would fall off if he tried.

‟A ‟Crouxton Vinaigrette a la Nic- N- Niç-… Nûș- Ñḗ…"

‟. . ."

‟…A SALAD!"

It… it was a salad. It was green. Some other colors too.

‟S-seems tasty?"

‟OF COURSETH! HA HA HA! Squirmst in pleasure! Squirmst while you ENJOYETH thouself!"

‟…EH-HEM. See-eth thou for DESERTE, custo-worms!"

And there he goes. Along with his insanely loud theme song.

‟…Huh." - That was about the start and end of Noelle's reaction.

He noticed a small problem though.

‟…Rouxls?"

‟ẂHATE!?" - His theme song started at 1.2 times speed.

‟You didn't give us forks."

‟. . ."

‟SACRÉ"

‟DAMN IT"


Maybe Rouxls's hat was accurate. Because the food tasted, against all expectations, good. Kris had no idea what it was. No, he knew it was some cotton or stone transformed by the fountain. He had no idea what it was supposed to bethough, if it was supposed to be anything. It had a rich taste he didn't recognize. Like a salty, exquisite butter. It tasted high class. Or like what a country bumpkin like him would think high class tastes like. Noelle seemed to be enjoying her salad. As much as one reasonably enjoys salad.

‟Hey! At least I won't have to skip dinner!"

‟Hm? What do you mean?"

‟I'm on a diet till Christmas." - She said that like a soldier preparing for war. Did she care about her weight?

‟What? You look fine to me."

‟Guys always say that! I'm saving up for the holidays." - Saving up in that case referred to space, presumably. Kris learned from his mom that a girl's weight is a minefield that he wasn't brave enough to cross.

‟…Well, dark world food can't get you fat."

Yeah, right!"

‟I'm serious, it doesn't fill you up."

He could see through the numerous candles, a glimpse of her face. Her pupils were dilated to about twice their usual size. She slowly put some leaves in her mouth to test it, trying as hard as she could to determine the imperfections.

‟Kris."

‟Y-yes?"

‟Why did you not tell me sooner?"

‟A … lot of reasons. I'm sure you know."

‟…Pff, yeah, I know. And you're right, it does taste a little weird… like… sponge? And I can feel it dissolving…" - That last bit hit like her best friend was disappearing before her eyes.

She'd apparently developed a hang-up with food. That was so her. He made a note to ignore his mother's warning, and absolutely tease her about it later. But at that moment, he was doing his best to not focus on how cute it was, the word cute itself was like a fly buzzing in and out of his ears by then. She was really pretty, and she was great company. But that's not what kept worming its way into his brain.

‟…It's pretty good for not being real. I wonder what this is supposed to be."

‟The chef did tellyou what that was, Kris."

Did he? Kris would need a translation team to decipher that guy without the accents he puts on every letter.

‟It's goose liver, silly!"

Pffbh-" - Luckily for our young protagonist, the food, like all food from the dark world, disappeared a few seconds after entering (and exiting) his mouth. So the table wasn't ruined. Even more luckily, none of it reached the girl sitting opposite to him.

Kris! Ew!"

You're saying ew? I ate it!" - Well, it wasn't actually real what-she-just-said. So he could pretend it was some weird tasting chocolate. But now that he thought about it, it did kind of taste like…

‟Didn't you say you liked it?"

‟I wouldn't have if I knew… Bleh-"

‟Fahahah! You haven't changed at all!"
‟Toriel still complains that you barely eat anything! You'll never grow taller if you turn your nose up at food, Kris." - Kris found out that when Noelle was comfortable enough to speak her mind, her words could be surprisingly sharp. Maybe even surprising to her.

But she couldn't be a match for him.

‟…At least I don't sleep with dolls next to me." - Kris was the Hometown master of rudeness.

‟Hey! Those were… from dad…" - Kris was a dumbass.

‟…Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to- bring that up."

Her giant antlers angled down for a moment, fork twirling along a cucumber. A soft smile held on her face.

‟…Kris… I'm glad you care… but, you don't have to dance around it. I'm fine now, I swear."

‟…Yeah. Sorry for that."

‟Stop being sorry! I told you I'm fine!" - For a teenager, the small-town girl sure knew how to defuse a situation. She was an absolute master at being teased. No wonder everyone did it.

‟Alright, alright. Eat your greens."

You're telling me to eat my greens? Krismas."

‟Shut uuuup-"

What was she, his mom?


It really was surreal. Him sitting and talking with Noelle over dinner. Not on a study break, or under a dream pretense, just… actually hanging out together. He had talked his heart out with Susie, usually about stupid crap, and enough to last him a lifetime. But Noelle? She seemed to always be too busy doing this, or that… Just relaxing with her for any amount of time seemed impossible. But now that he thought about it. He hadn't once asked her. They were having an enjoyable evening. Even though it was noon. Maybe he did have to thank everyone down there. After they make it up to Susie, obviously.

She was great to talk to. Obviously she would be. Why was he surprised? Didn't he like her? Had he even paid attention before? What did he even like about her? …If he was determined enough, could he punch himself from 2 months back? Would that make a paradox?

‟I hope you enjoyed your visits, because YOU TWO"

JUST"

GOT"

SERVED!" - Lancer took off his mustache, his laugh sounded like a bike horn.

‟It was me, Lancer, working part-time under the pretense of an innocent waiter!"

‟…Now's the part where you're legally obligated to give me a tip or I'll cry."

Kris got a nondescript amount of one Dark Buck and let it fall in Lancer's doughy hands.

‟Hasta-lau-revoir, suckers!"

After the previous prince slid off-screen, the path back lit up. Like it was always there. Which, it probably was. Kris got up, scarf at the ready. Noelle feathered her hair.

‟It's good that time doesn't pass in here, huh?" - It's good she didn't know what time it was.

‟Yup." - Because about two hours had passed.

On the other side of the door was the castle plaza, with everyone in it. Except Queen. And well, The King, but he's a special case. For some reason, the cauldron was coated in soot and ash, and there were fires and smoke stacks all around it. Lancer was running down the stairs to show his money to dad. Rouxls' hat had slid down his whole body, leaving him trapped. Ralsei came up to them.

‟P-please ignore the kitchen. We're having some difficulties cleaning up… Uhm, out of a scale of ten-"

Kris stared the goat down, then back to his friend.

‟Can you leave us alone for a bit, Noelle?"

‟Uh, sure! Sure I- I can."

‟F-from one to ten, how highly would you rate your experie…" - Ralsei looked a bit nervous, writhing under the human's red eyes.

A resolute voice called out from behind him.

‟Actually, Kris?"

‟Hm?"

‟Is Susie around here? I-I need to speak with her."

A great part of him had its curiosity piqued. Another didn't want to know. A greater one knew he shouldn't know. Most of him was focused on the miscreant under his eyes.

‟She's in her room. Up the stairs and to the right."

‟Alright. Then, I'll- I'll give you two some privacy…"

As soon as his friend passed the corner, He loudly entrenched his hand on the wall, looking down at the goat's weak little horns. Susie did that to him a few times, he wouldn't forget how it feels. Now that he was looking at the goat, was Ralsei smaller than he used to be? He was sure they were eye to eye before,but he had to cast his eyes down to catch his.

‟W-what is it you want to ask of me, Kris?"

‟Don't pretend you don't know."

‟…N-n-nothing comes to mind…"

‟Why are you doing this?"

‟What could you p-possibly be talking about, I wonder?"

Tell me."

‟!…W-well, uhm… we just wanted to… help…" - Ralsei seemed downtrodden, he was searching the floor, hoping to find a crack that he'd fall in and escape through.

‟Help how?"

‟W…well… you two wanted to g-give Noelle a gift… and I, we just thought we'd… help you do that." - His glasses were amplifying the sadness in his eyes. Like he was caught with both hands in the cookie jar.

‟How did that help?"

‟Kris, y-you like Noelle, so I thought it'd-"

‟Who. Told. You. That?" - Kris bent his arm on the wall. He was inches from the goat's face. His bangs climbed over his pointed horns, and they were eye to glasses. He could smell Ralsei's soft marshmallow breath, and feel his eyes swimming around his face.

‟Uhm… I-I'm sorry Kris, but I can't tell you that…"

‟Was it Susie?" - It was literally the only possibility.

‟No! Susie doesn't know anything about this! This was my idea!"

‟Then how do you know?"

‟I-I can't tell you that right now… B-but I promise I'll tell you later!"
‟S-so please, can you b-b-back off? …You're scaring me…"

Who knows?"

‟! N-nobody! Nobody except me! I promise I won't tell, so please-"

For as much as his eyes gave him a terrifying first impression, Kris wasn't good at threats. He didn't like doing it. It felt wrong. And with how Ralsei looked and acted… It was like he was bullying a younger version of his own brother, it was hard to keep up. If Ralsei said he'll tell him later, he will. For as annoying as the prince was, he was honest. So, as much as it irked him that for some reason, his mind had been read, he let go. He rose off the wall, and let the waiter breathe.

‟T-Thanks… I'm really sorry Kris, but-"

‟Ralsei."

‟! W-W-What!?"

‟…Noelle rejected me."

‟…Eh?"

‟So you wasted your time."

‟But thanks."

‟…Huh? Wh-?… ?" - All that escaped his mouth while his black dot eyes wondered about the Human Hero's back.


He had stopped halfway up the stairs. Why was she there?

That wasn't where she said she'd be going. She was in the wrong room. It was weird she hadn't heard his footsteps echoing off the castle walls. She might have been focused on something else, or maybe she knew, and was waiting for him. He could see her, the door was left wide open. She was looking at something, or maybe not, her back was turned. He hesitated for a few too many seconds. All his thoughts raced his mind, enough to make his brain turn over. There had to be a boring explanation. What was he afraid of? He didn't have anything else he could lose. He shook his head, got all the weirdness out of it, and stepped over.

He entered the room. Her whole body instantly shook and wound up straight. Her head slowly turned to look at the source of the noise.

She watched him with an undecipherable expression. Something between worry and curiosity and fear and thankfulness. Her eyes darting around him for answers. He had many inklings of what happened, not enough time to think why. He stared into the searchlights for the moment he was allowed to.

He knew a hundred things he could say. Thousands more he wanted to. But there was only one he should.

‟Noelle, this is my room. Susie's is to the right."

‟…Oh!" - Just like that, she snapped back to reality. Back on track.

‟Obviously Susie'd be in the pink room, duh…"

‟I know, right? Ralsei made it easy to tell."

‟And I still got it wrong! Sorry for barging in like that, Kris… I'll, uh… see you in a bit?"

‟No problem. Yeah, see you."

She passed him, looking at the pink door vis-a-vis. He took a look into his room. His picture frame met his expression. It was face-up. He turned his head,

‟Good luck."

She didn't respond, just looked down and took a slow, troubled breath as she looked down.

Kris had one last look at the hallway, heard a door open, and closed his.

It wasn't his place to know anything after that.

Whatever happened, he'd be fine with it.