Endless, swirling fields of stars sprawled across the vast nothingness, creating a symphony of light against the void: Andromeda. After losing Homeworld, this outlook was the closest Susie had to a home, so she spent quite a bit of time gazing upon it for the months that she was on the Ark Signalis. The serenity of it brought comfort; something she rarely felt. She had essentially given up her freedom just to feel some semblance of it, but none came. Toriel warned her that the trade would take more than it would give, but she didn't care. The two armies had been fighting over Hometown for weeks. Susie just wanted it all to end, and to stop that from happening to anyone else.
But she wasn't allowed to do jack. A soldier? More like a prisoner. Susie wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't this.
"Hey, Susie… you've been looking for a while. Are you OK?"
That obnoxiously sweet and admittedly adorable voice. Interrupting her inner monologue once again.
Susie sighed. "Yeah, Ralsei, I'm fine. No need for the bubble wrapping," she continued. "What else do you want me to do? It's not like the guys in charge have given us complete and total freedom."
Ralsei huffed. "I know, but… I just don't think it's healthy. To be… staring off into space like that. Literally."
"Okay, and? It's not healthy for kids like us to have such a stupid strict schedule, but here we are. So what of it?" Susie shot.
Ralsei opened his mouth to say something, but looked down and began shuffling his feet. Not like Susie could even really tell he had opened his mouth with the shadow his ridiculous hat cast over his face, but it sure looked like he was going to say something. And she wanted to hear it.
Susie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, just spit it out. You're not gonna hurt my feelings or anything."
"Well… I don't think it's right, either. But you should at least try to take care of yourself with the time you have. Instead of just… standing here, gazing out the window. I-it's pretty! But… sometimes you have to take a break, you know?"
Sometimes he was right, even if she didn't want to admit it. And he was at least nice about it, unlike Berdly, whom she couldn't stand for that reason. Sure, he was smart, but he always had to wear it like a badge and show it to everyone. Like that old lawyer game where Susie would always present the attorney badge as evidence to piss Berdly off whenever he wanted to play seriously.
What Susie would give to see him and Noelle again…