When you get used to walking somewhere, it feels a bit odd to be driven there. Normally Susie would be pretty pleased with not having to walk all the way home, especially with the temperatures going down, but there was something of an elephant in the room. That elephant being her dry alligator of a mother.

"I would have been fine walking home, mom." Susie leaned her head back on top of the carseat's headrest. "Seems kinda like the opposite of a punishment."

"Well, you've shown you can't be trusted, so for now we are going to have to make sure ourselves that you are going where you're supposed to go." Her mother stood firm, the passive-aggressiveness in her voice putting her husband's regular aggression to shame.

"I can't be trusted now? It's not like I was doing anything bad." Susie attempted to inch out whatever ground she could. "I mean besides cutting class. But…" She exhaled and looked out the window. "I know that was bad, and I promise I won't do it again." Her pride felt gutpunched.

Her mother's expression softened, looking less like she was about to death roll the next non-scaled creature she came across like before. "Oh? And what exactly were you doing?"

"I was just hanging out with a friend. His name is Kris. The human dude." She thought about mentioning Ralsei, but wouldn't even know where to begin lying to cover that story.

"He?" Her mother's slitted pupils thinned even more, glaring straight through Susie like her soul was visible.

"We're just friends! I swear. He's a total dork, and, uh...gay?" Susie cleared her throat. "We were just hanging out and playing games. That's it."

The car pulled into their driveway, and quieted to a rest. "Susie, look. I understand. I know you haven't had the easiest time making friends, but we were really scared. Just promise you won't do it again, and I'll talk to your dad."

Susie opened the car door, keeping her mind on the same prize as always when she got home after school: her bed. "Alright." Her response was drowned out by distant police sirens, as both her and her mother's attention was stolen.

"See? If I didn't drive you home, I'd think that siren was because of you." Her lips curled into a smile, as non-threatening as an alligator smile could be.

Susie rolled her eyes, but forced a smile for her own sake. "I hope dad is as weak to sob stories as you are, mom." She thought in her throat.

"Kris?! Kris, are you alright?" Ralsei desperately jostled Kris's armor by the shoulder. "D-Did I hit you? I'm so sorry, I just thought I'd have to attack to get your soul to come…" His voice seemed to fade into the world as the human's hands opened and closed. They went up and brushed his hair down, his bangs going over his eyes. "Kris?"

"Ugh, Ralsei...what happened?" He groaned and sat up.

"Oh, thank goodness. I was so worried you were hurt." He held out his hand to help Kris up, and it was quickly taken. Almost eagerly.

"You didn't hurt me, don't worry!" A toothy, reassuring smile made Ralsei feel at ease. "I should be able to go in just fine now, your plan worked so well!"

"Um, thank you, Kris." He was still holding onto Ralsei's hand, feeling the dead stare even behind his bangs. "You can let go now, if you want…" He cleared his throat into his hand.

Kris didn't say anything, slowly letting go of Ralsei's hand. His smile dropped ever so slightly, as if he was annoyed. "You're so smart, Ralsei. I feel so much better with that soul in me. Even though it did sort of run straight through my back. How'd you come up with it?"

"You're flattering me." He fanned his face like a proper Southern Belle. "I just noticed it seemed to conjure itself up every time we got in a fight, so I thought if we started one, it would have to come."

Kris watched with a held smile and repeated head nods.

"Um…" Ralsei held his hands together, trying not to look at Kris. Something felt off, but he wasn't his deadpan self like when the soul was controlling him. He really wished Susie were here. "Shouldn't you get going? I don't mean to sound rude, but, um, I was supposed to meet with Lancer." Ralsei didn't exactly feel thrilled about lying to his friend, but there were too many dots in his head being connected incorrectly, and it was beginning to make him panic. "You can use my fountain if you want."

"Ah, I should, shouldn't I?" The taint of annoyance was back. "But before I go, how about we have a sleepover sometime? At my house."

Ralsei felt overwhelmed at many factors of that prospect, but found himself already answering. "That sounds like it could be fun. Will Susie be coming, too?"

Kris's face twitched, his smile seeming to pull at his face more before answering. "Sure. I'll come get you for it this weekend. That's 4 days from now, alright Fluffy Boy?"

"F...what?" Ralsei squeaked out, feeling even more confused. "Is it rude to say Kris would never say something like that?" Ralsei wondered as Kris was already walking back towards the field.

"It's a compliment. I'm just being nice." He stopped and looked at Ralsei over his shoulder. "I'll see you around, Ralsei." He vanished past the Great Door, and went silent and flat all the way home.

Ralsei felt like he could breathe again, holding his hand gently to his chest. "What in the world is going on?" He already felt suspicious. "I saw the soul go into him like a speeding arrow, was that really Kris? Did I doom him back to imprisonment?" Ralsei felt his heart drop, pacing back and forth until his ears perked up at the sound of someone's voice.

"Hoo hoo hoo…"

His head turned towards the dummy he used for friendship practice suddenly, glancing around with caution. "Hello…?"

Another laugh came straight from the dummy, its most recent addition swaying back and forth of its own volition. The J-shaped tail stood at attention, catching Ralsei's eye.

"The nightmare won't end." Ralsei tugged on his ears, his eyes full of fear.

"Woe, oh woe!" The dummy's mouth began to move like it was speaking. "It would seem your friend is quite capricious, terminally so!" It started to hover.

Oh. It was just Jevil. Ralsei felt relief in at least knowing what he was terrified of now, even if it was the thing that seemed most hellbent on his destruction before.

"You are the liberator, but how to start? Find 88 keys, and the one to your heart!" The dummy mused, rattling onto the ground.

"What do you mean? Do you know what's wrong with Kris?" He made sure to keep his distance.

"No fun, no fun! Informing is crummy! The game is a riddle, don't be a DUMMY!" It popped into the air, hitting the ground on its side lifelessly.

He kept one foot in running mode, his courage gone when faced alone. But the dummy was still and silent, nothing more than cloth on a stand. Ralsei felt like he was losing his mind, looking around and running back towards his castle without another word. With a flick of his wrist, a rectangle formed in the large drawbridge which let him pass on through. He knew he was safe inside his large, ruinous fortress. If it hid him before, it could hide him from anything.

Susie let out a deep sigh as she laid down onto her bed, followed by several animalistic groans and noises unbeknownst to man as she stretched herself out. She hoped her body was done growing, because being her size was kinda a bum deal. She envied Kris and Ralsei, probably able to fit in cars without feeling like her legs were in a coffin. Ralsei's hat came into her mind and she smirked, thinking about how it felt like most of his height. But as the hat left and he remained, something stirred inside. She had replayed it a hundred times in her head, but she could never figure out why. But she did know why, she just didn't want to believe it. It'd only be opening herself up as a big target for a whole new level of pain, she thought, and frankly she wasn't exactly hyped for it.

"Hey, can you quit mumbling into your hat? Can barely hear ya, dude."

"O-Oh! I'm sorry!"

Ralsei even played his role in his mind, thinking back to a friend he knew was trustworthy for comfort. But Ralsei was irked by it, playing it over in his mind just as much.

"Why did she leave so quickly? Did I say something wrong? Or was it just…?" He buried his face in his pillow in resignation. "I should have kept my hat on forever. I shouldn't have been so harsh without knowing how kind she could be."

Susie began to dread seeing Ralsei again, doubting she'd be able to look him in the face after the ass she made of herself. Especially not HIS face. "He's so smart, and I'm just some stupid edgelord."

"She's so brave and strong, and I run away like the little whelp I am when I'm on my own."

"He's too good for me."

"She's too good for me."