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>Noelle is deep in thought
>Her nose wrinkles
>Her ears flitter rhythmically like a pair of tiny wings
>Her eyes narrow, squinting like she's a Wild West gunfighter
>A low, animal noise rises in her throat
>Kris runs his hands across his face, sighing to himself
>What was he THINKING?!
>It had seemed like such a good idea at the time
>The fight had been tough
>Worse than tough
>It was the closest call they'd ever had in the Dark World, by far
>If it weren't for Noelle, then...
>Well.
>So the offer had made sense on multiple levels
>"I'll buy you anything you like. Any one piece of equipment, it's on me."
>Of course he wanted to treat her to something. It was the least he could do
>But more than that, she'd saved everyone's lives. Making sure she had the best gear money could buy was just smart
>And deep down, so deep he barely admitted it, even to himself
>It was a way to spend time with her
>Just the two of them, doing something she enjoys
>A selfish impulse.
>A foolish impulse.
>But at first, it had been a good time
>Walking with Noelle through the town square of Castle Town
>Looking at all the new shops that had opened up since they'd started exploring the Dark Worlds
>Kris had smiled to himself as Noelle stared intently at every single accessory, checking their stats one by one
>A true RPG gamer, he thought
>It was cute, honestly, seeing her so serious about it
>Even though there were so many items, and even though there were so many stores, and...
>Even though it's been over an hour and a half now
>This is their third circuit
>She isn't any closer to making a decision, or so it seems to Kris
>His feet hurt
>The joints on his armor are starting to chafe
>For the first time in a long while, Kris Dreemurr really wants to go home
>"Listen, Noelle-"
>"Oh! Here we go!"
>Noelle whirls around, beaming, a little silver band clutched between her fuzzy fingers
>She bounds over to him, her hooves clicking on the tile floor
>"I want this one. If that's okay."
>Kris raises an eyebrow, taking the ring from her hands
>"Took you long enough," he grumbles under his breath
>He looks at it, turns it as it catches the light
>The stats are pretty unremarkable
>It doesn't seem like it has any cool special abilities, either
>It's practically just regular jewelry, and not particularly fancy jewelry at that
>It's a simple design. A thin silver band, adorned only by a floral design along the top
>Some buds and a bloom
>A mirrored lotus, isn't it?
>Suddenly, his throat feels like it's closing up
>There's a hot pressure behind his eyes, in his sinuses
>Kris knows more about floristry than he'd care to admit
>He gets it from his dad
>Or more accurately, it was inflicted upon him by his dad
>Care, preservation, arrangement...
>And the language of flowers
>Mirrored lotus.
>Meaning, eternal love.
>"Kris? Is something wrong?"
>He blinks
>Noelle is leaning in, her face dangerously close to his, her big, wintergreen eyes worried and guileless
>She doesn't know what it means.
>Of course she doesn't. Why would she?
>"Did I... Is that one too expensive? I'm so sorry! I'll just-"
>He shakes his head, smiles
>"It's nothing."
>And it is nothing
>It can never be anything
>She will never, ever see him as he sees her
>Perhaps the beauty of it was always in its impossibility
>An impossible love, one that would ruin everything if he ever put it into words
>But as he walks with Noelle back towards the great pillar of light in the distance, he thinks that might be okay
>Because those feelings, that silent yearning, is what drove him to reconnect with Noelle
>To try to be there for her, to let her be there for him
>He is a better person because of those feelings. He hopes that Noelle is happier because of them too
>Even if they're doomed to die deep in his chest
>Unspoken
>"Um, Kris? You still have the ring."
>"What, you want to keep it? I bet it'd look good on you, though. Fahaha."
>Kris shakes himself out of his reverie, jogging to catch up with her longer strides
>"Oh, right. Sorry."
>Noelle smiles, happy and genuine, eyes and nose scrunching up as she reaches out her hand
>"I forgot to say thank you, didn't I? Thank you, Kr-"
>It's a temporary madness that seizes Kris in that moment
>A stray thought moving his body before he can suppress it
>A painful, almost cruel prank, played on himself
>Before either of them can say a word, Kris kneels
>His cape catches the wind, flowing out behind him
>Noelle gasps, a quiet sound barely on the edge of hearing
>He takes her left hand, feeling the soft stubble of her coat against his fingers
>His eyes are closed
>If he opens them, if he sees the expression he knows in his heart must be on her face, it will all fall apart
>Gently, he cradles her palm in his
>He takes the ring, slips it onto her ring finger
>He hears, or perhaps just imagines he hears bells tolling far in the distance, clear and deep, echoing through the darkness
>Ah, he thinks
>It's a dream. It must be a dream.
>Because if it weren't, he'd never have done something like this
>He'd never have the courage... or the ego, maybe, to do something like this
>Kris smiles to himself in the darkness behind his eyelids
>Selfish. Unrealistic. Just a dumb fantasy. And yet...
>It's a good dream.
>So it's okay if he keeps dreaming it for just a little longer, isn't it?
>It's okay if he holds her hand for a moment longer, pretends he feels her pressing her fingers into his skin instead of pulling away in disgust, right?
>It isn't a dream, of course
>Slowly, Noelle takes her hand from his
>By the time he opens his eyes, she's turned away, head bowed, her hair falling in a golden curtain that hides her face as she stares down at her hands
>Her shoulders start to shake
>Kris grits his teeth, steadies himself for the blow
>His mind whirls with the possibilities, all of them unspeakably bad
>"Pff... Kris...!"
>She laughs, so hard that she starts to clutch at her sides, tears in the corners of her eyes
>"Pfahahaha! KRIS! You stinker! You really had me going, you know?! What the heck was all of that?"
>Kris smiles wearily
>Worse than he hoped, of course.
>But much, much better than he feared.
>"Hah. You should have seen your face."
>He wishes he had.
>Smiling, Noelle turns back to the path, and Kris follows her back to the school, back to their world
>They part with a wave, walking back home through the early evening gloom
>Kris lies awake that night, staring at the ceiling
>Wondering if this is how it will always be
>If anything will ever change, if anything can ever change
>But the next morning Noelle meets him in front of the school
>She smiles, waves, teases him for the bags under his eyes
>It's the same as always
>The same, but for the simple silver ring on her left hand
>The lotus shines in the morning light
>As it will for many years to come.