Work Text:
Ralsei was waiting for his friends to come back. That was kind of all he did, all the time.
Kris and Susie.
He waited, and waited a little longer. It had been a day or two since the last time they saw each other—definitely too long.
But what could he do? So he kept waiting.
Ralsei wandered through Castle Town. It was one of the pastimes he used the most these days.
The town was much fuller now, after so many other Darkners had arrived—those they had recruited since their last adventures. It was noisier here, more alive. Better than being alone like before.
He bumped into a few of them during his walk, chatting with some, exchanging a few “hi”s here and there.
“How are you, Ms. Queen?” he said casually.
“Very Well Dear,” she replied, bringing a glass of her famous ‘acid battery’ drink to her mouth. “And When Are Your Friends Returning”
If only he knew.
“I’m not sure… Soon, probably… I hope.” The last part was said more quietly. It was slightly embarrassing to admit how much he missed the two of them. “Anyway… I should get going. See you!”
Queen gave a little wave as he walked away.
He headed back toward his castle. He’d had an idea while talking to his friend.
It had been a while since he’d baked a cake. “A while” said lightly… it hadn’t been more than a few days, since the last time he’d made one for Susie. She devoured it in a single bite.
Ralsei chuckled to himself at the memory. He opened the door that led to the cauldron room.
Today, he decided to do it the old-fashioned way. “Old-fashioned” meaning he would actually stir the cauldron, not just let the magic flow on its own.
Imagine if he found out that, in the Light World, you have to combine the ingredients one by one! That would seem like too much work for anyone.
BUT that thought was far from reaching him right now.
Quickly, his cake was ready: strawberry, his favorite.
In fact, it was the only one he ate. He’d tried chocolate some time ago and simply didn’t like it.
Ralsei cut himself a slice, placing it on a plate he had just summoned. He sat down on the benches he had recently installed.
He didn’t like many other things, either. He’d tried making and tasting cookies, croissants, all kinds of sweets. Cupcakes were second best, but none of them beat his cakes.
He kept eating, bite by bite, slowly.
A few minutes pass.
Suddenly:
The door to his castle goes flying open with a loud crash. The little goat boy only sees it hit the ground. A loud, raspy laugh can be heard from the hole left behind by the destruction.
Susie?!
His heart starts pounding, a familiar flutter in his stomach.
And sure enough, there she was—the tall, pink-colored figure standing in his doorway. Them, actually, since a smaller, more bluish figure stood close beside her.
“Friends!!!” he exclaimed, running straight into a hug.
“Rals!” Susie said, before she and Kris were both tightly grabbed by their short friend.
She hates hugs—the boy knew that very well—but she made an exception, just for him, just today.
“We missed you. We wanted to come visit,” Kris said, their voice as low as always, but still genuine. The hug broke apart.
“Not we… Speak for yourself!” Susie shot back. Both of them stared at her for a moment, neutral expressions. “Okay. Maybe I missed you a little. Just a little.”
Ralsei laughed.
“Yeah, sure… so, uh, Susie, I made cake. Do you want some?”
“Obviously!” she said immediately, running toward the cauldron where the cake sat—only one slice missing. “Kris, you want any?”
“No, I’m good.”
“More for me!” She swallows the whole cake in one bite. None of the three are surprised.
Ralsei sat back down on the bench. Kris followed him, Susie right after.
“Hm, Ralsei—you never miss with cakes.”
“Haha, thanks. It’s magic, after all.” he said, using that same magic to return the door to its place in seconds.
“So, uh, what brings you here?” the goat boy asked.
“Like I said, we kinda just wanted to see you. Besides, it’s boring as hell in the Light World.”
“I see…”
They talk, and talk for a few minutes. The two of them update Ralsei on everything that happened during those two days apart. Mostly everyday things, nothing out of the ordinary. Hometown had always been a peaceful town.
Eventually, they asked what Ralsei had been doing alone while they were gone. He explained that it wasn’t much.
“It’s almost like I guessed you were coming. I made cake that same day. I hadn’t eaten anything in a few days, anyway.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” Susie asked suddenly.
“I made cake because I hadn’t eaten in days? I don’t get it.”
“Do you eat cake only?”
Ralsei hadn’t even realized that was supposed to be a problem. Wasn’t it normal to eat your favorite food every day?
“Uh… yes? Should I be worried?”
Kris laughed. “You’re gonna get chubby, kid.”
“But I’m a Darkner… I don’t gain weight, and I don’t even need to eat!”
“Still, man! You gotta try other stuff sometimes,” Susie said.
“Yeah! Don’t you eat, I dunno, rice and beans?” Kris agreed.
“What’s beans?”
The two of them fell silent at the same time. Kris looked at Susie, and Susie at Kris, both thinking the same thing: That’s not possible.
Ralsei turned his head away, embarrassed.
“I-I didn’t know you couldn’t…!”
Susie stood up from the bench and walked to the cauldron in front of them. She kicked it, like someone trying to get a TV working again.
“Ralsei, how do you turn this thing on? Today you’re eating real food.”
“The pot calling the kettle black… Susie, your favorite food is chalk,” Kris remarked. Even though they were on her side, they were absolutely right. Ralsei laughed in agreement.
“At least I don’t eat only chalk,” she replied.
“Okay, okay…! Just tell me what you want and I’ll summon it in the cauldron…” Ralsei said.
“Uh…” She turned to Kris, waiting for their answer. “Rice, beans…”
“Pasta and some chicken,” Kris added.
“That!”
“Alright…” With a clap of his hands, a green explosion bursts from his cauldron. A shallow plate, filled with all that food, flies out of it. Susie catches it midair.
She walks over to him, holding the plate. She places it in his hands and sits down on the floor in front of him. Kris sits down beside her, the two of them now putting Ralsei in the spotlight.
“Now eat,” Susie said.
“W-why are you… sitting on the floor?”
“Uh. Dunno. Just eat.”
Ralsei ignores the terrible seating choice. He grabs the fork, tries to pick up the pasta a few times, failing embarrassingly before finally succeeding.
Nervous, he stares at the food. His heart was beating fast—but not because he was afraid of the taste or anything like that. It was because of the two big pairs of eyes staring at him so attentively… Ralsei always got nervous when he was the center of attention.
But they were his friends! He wouldn’t disappoint them!
Quickly, he puts the fork in his mouth.
…
“So? What do you think? What do you think?” Susie asked excitedly.
“Uh…” he said, still chewing. “This is…”
“It’s pretty bad.”
“Huh—WHAT!?”
Kris bursts out laughing, whether at Susie’s outrage or Ralsei’s completely unbalanced answer.
“Ralsei?! How can someone not like pasta?”
“B-but I’m not a someone!”
“Doesn’t matter…! Just explain.”
“The taste… it has nothing to do with sugar!”
Kris stands up, still laughing, and places a hand on Ralsei’s shoulder.
“Ralsei, that’s not sugar,” Kris tells him. “It’s salt. Like, the opposite of sugar.”
“Oh. Well, it’s still bad. Sorry, guys.”
Ralsei returns his fork to the plate, and the plate to the table near the cauldron. He goes back to sit on the floor near his friends.
“Ralsei, answer me this… How can you be a mythical creature who knows the entire fate of the universe, but not know what salt is?” Kris continued.
“Uhhhhh… Maybe that’s a question for another day!”
He had almost been found out.
Yes, Ralsei knows the entire fate of the universe—knows how everything will end, and everything that happens in between.
That’s why he knew he wouldn’t like anything salty. And knew that Susie and Kris would force him to try it at least once.
But what wouldn’t he do to make his friends happy? He was content with that. Nothing else mattered.
When the three of them were there, just sitting, talking, together.
Hearing Kris make dumb jokes, Susie laughing at them.
He would eat a thousand plates of pasta to experience that every day.
No matter how bad it tasted.
“But, uh, thanks for at least trying. Something new. For us.” Susie continued, her voice softer than usual for something so honest.
“Of course…! It was fun, even…”
“Uh-huh, sure,” Kris teased. “You looked like you were about to cry.”
“I-I tried my best, okay!”