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The Dark World has a muted sort of beauty to it, one might argue. In between orchards of purple-pink trees that grow candied stars upon their branches and embroider the paved, dark paths that carry travellers to often darker destinations live (appropriately though not creatively named!) Darkeners, with hearts and stories and purposes.
And monarchs. Well, one monarch as of the new circumstances. One monarch- better called a tyrant, really - and a prince.
A prince from the Dark.
As pretty as it may be, it’s a comparatively small place to live in. Like a dark candy too high up to reach, it feels a little distant. A little lonely.
Ralsei thinks his manual looks pretty good, at least. He's practiced his Tale time and time again until he was sure his voice could sound just engaging enough for the heroes to be entertained.
He's stopped peering outside the windows, half lost in contemplation of what it really is to be a prince. To have subjects, and most importantly, to have friends.
Ralsei ceases dreaming for the moment, but keeps hoping.
He may not have subjects, but he has a nice manual, an adequate training dummy, baking skills, and a prophecy that promises him adventure.
.
A human, a monster, and a prince from the dark. It feels wonderful to be part of something. It feels wonderful to have a friend already.
There's a few situations Ralsei hasn't exactly prepared himself for, so he can forgive himself for startling the first three times Kris decided to hug him. He thinks it might be okay to enjoy, because being hugged feels distinctly like a foreign brand of warmth. Though Ralsei has no advice to offer when it comes to hugging, Kris doesn't seem to mind, because their arms encircle his small frame and stay there anyway.
It’s the most quiet of embraces. They don't say anything, so Ralsei doesn't either. The two patches of pink on his fur speak volumes, though.
-
Susie’s being a little troublesome for a hero. Cooperation doesn't seem to be her strong suit. Neither does ACTing. Or being friendly. Or interacting with people on all levels, really, and Ralsei doesn’t really understand why, because a compliment and a pacify spell are just a few kind words away, and it takes marginally less effort than swinging a sharp blade in someone's face. At least that's what he imagines she's done. He sure hopes Susie didn't just inflict this much damage using her teeth and fists alone, but he can't say he'd be surprised.
Ralsei gives the baker a sympathetic look, and watches Kris pick up the ruined bits of cake from the table.
Whatever happens next, he hopes Susie will realise her place as a hero among the Lighteners. He hopes they can all be good companions.
-
Chests and boxes aren't a rarity in the Dark World, not any more than puzzles and the occasional Darkener ready to engage in combat (and hopefully be put to sleep. God knows most of them need it, as what with the king’s cruelty, Ralsei wouldn't be surprised if he overworked them frequently).
Rosewood encased in gold; a rather lovely chest. They find, nestled within it, the loveliest of white ribbons. It likely increases DEFENSE, and it definitely looks extremely cute and suitably clean; an easy win.
Rather happy with their discovery, Ralsei tells Kris to EQUIP the ribbon.
Kris stares at it. It'll look nice on them, he thinks, and maybe when they get Susie back, they'll find her a ribbon to match, too. He just hopes she won't chop it to bits with her axe. Chopping things to bit with her axe seems to be Susie’s default reaction to just about anything.
Kris doesn’t respond. They continue to stare at the snow white ribbon, now in their palm, a direct, shining contrast to the various shades of darkness in bloom around them. Had they not heard him? Ralsei tells Kris to EQUIP the ribbon again.
This time, Kris does respond. They raise their head and stare right at Ralsei instead. Ralsei’s beginning to feel a bit anxious.
“I, uh- it's okay, Kris. I'm sure you'll look nice without the ribbon, too. It was just a suggestion. I'm really sorry if you felt I was pressuring you..”
Kris shakes their head, and Ralsei’s just about to hesitantly backtrack. Although frankly, whatever he would have said next disappears the instant Kris takes a step forward.
“Kris?” Ralsei asks, uncertain.
“It's okay.” Kris says.
They're usually silent, but their voice is nice too. Ralsei thinks hearing the voice of a friend might be the same as a hug (an area in which he's proud to say he now has expertise). Kris rarely ever speaks outside of issuing commands.
So Ralsei stands still as a dark candy tree, scarf swishing in the breeze, and patiently waits, waits, waits until he feels very aware of Kris knotting the ribbon around one of his ears.
“It is ARMOUR,” Kris says simply, stepping back. After a moment of silent thought, “Looks cute.”
Ralsei flushes the colour of his scarf.
-
Susie’s transition from hero to self proclaimed villain is troubling at first, but Ralsei can't bring himself to truly worry about her staying a bad guy forever. The prophecy lists her as a LEGENDARY HERO, and though choices shape a person’s life and experiences, no choice is powerful enough to overwrite prophesied destiny.
It's nice to see her taking a break from axe-ing people, though. It's nice to see that she and Lancer are being friends.
When Ralsei and Kris are consulted by Lancer in a quest for FRIENDSHIP, Ralsei’s only happy to sit crosslegged by the chart and create the most fearsome of ducks with Kris.
Even when their duck goes up in flames and Susie decides to axe her way through their confrontation, things wind up okay anyway.
Lancer tags along for the journey, and that's okay. He's not a legendary hero, but Ralsei’s reasonably sure you don't need to be a legendary hero to be a friend.
-
The quiet grinding of gears is a song in its own right, playing unfalteringly on their long descent to the final battle.
Kris almost seems to be napping. Their long bangs fall over their eyes, as is usual, and for the moment, they don't seem to be in the mood to converse very much.
Susie sits with her back against the wall, her shadow as large and looming as she herself is. Throughout their journey, she's never quite stopped looking rough around the edges, and Ralsei doubts she'll ever stop being intimidating, axe-happy or not. But that doesn't stop the whispered voices from carrying a conversation. It doesn't stop them from being friends.
Ralsei’s really glad he's learnt to bake cake after all, if it'll make Susie happy. He's really glad Susie won't be comparing him to toothpaste or any other day to day utensil again. He's glad the elevator makes just enough time for them to have a meaningful conversation, and he can’t put into words how happy he is that they're friends.
The orchestra of machinery comes to a gentle stop.
Kris draws themselves onto their feet. Susie rises from her spot against the elevator wall. She towers above her other two companions, humongous and teeming with power, a being well acquainted with FIGHTing, her weapons an unyielding axe and yellow blades for teeth.
But when she stands there and blinks slow and long at the opening doors, she feels less like a grudging hero ready to scare every darkener in her way and more like the kid she is, uncertain, and maybe a little afraid. Walking at her side feels like companionship. It kind of feels like… a hug, Ralsei thinks.
The doors close behind them.
It's the end.