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-"...Susie"
-"I...i think i gotta go"
Those were the last words Noelle said to Susie before they parted ways during the festival night
Susie began to worry
Half an hour have passed; she'd been looking for Noelle all over the festival for a while and found nothing
She didn't know which was worse, that Carol would find her with Noelle or that she would find her without her, That's why she avoided shouting her name, for fear of attracting her mother's attention and ending up cut in half by her katana
She searched all the places they had been together during the afternoon: the food stand, Catti's prediction booth, the Ferris wheel, but nothing, no sign of the reindeer
Suddenly, she remembered what she had said to her, she remembered the expression with which she said it; she seemed... disappointed, as if she needed to rest and think things over somewhere far away
She also recalled when she and Kris sat by the lake after the tragic incident at the church, after learning the entire prophecy, how it would end, and what needed to be done to save both worlds
Her best option for searching would be the lake; she couldn't enter the Holiday house even if Noelle were there, that would be trespassing
As she headed towards the lake, a flurry of thoughts flooded her mind; "Will she be alright?" "Did I make her uncomfortable?" "Did I say something I shoudn't have?"
Whatever it was, she had to find her before Carol noticed she wasn't at the festival, or she would kill her
And there, near the lake, kneeling with her head bowed, she noticed a shadow with antlers; it was her
Noelle was doing lake skips to try and distract herself from her thoughts, but it wasn't working; 2 out of every 10 stones bounced and the rest sank on the first try
Susie approached slowly, and as she stood to her right, she noticed that she had a lost look in her eyes, she felt a lump in her throat
-"Um...can I...sit here?" Susie asked carefully
Noelle said nothing, but, maintaining her dejected expression, she glanced at her and nodded
Susie approached and sat next to her, grabbed a couple of nearby stones and attempted to do lake skips, failing on the first try
-"Hey...is something wrong?" Susie asked
-"I was looking for you all over the festival for ages, I thought you'd gone home" she said
Noelle glanced at her again, but didn't answer
-"Hey...are you feeling okay?" Susie asked intriguedly
-"If you feel unwell, I could take you home without problem!, we just need to be careful that you mo-"
-"Why did you lie to me...?" Noelle finally speaked
Susie turned to look at her, catching her off guard
-"huh..?" Susie's eyes opened wide
-"Why did you lie to me?" Noelle asked again
-"I-i...i..." Susie tried to answer, but she didn't know what to say
-"When we arrived at Mr. Dreemurr's shop, and I found that magical world...like the one in my dream, I couldn't stop thinking...why didn't you tell me sooner? I didn't tell you or Kris because I wanted to enjoy an adventure like that again, But...during the festival, i-it was beautiful! But I couldn't stop thinking about it..."
-"Why did you hide it from me? Did you think I needed protection? Do you think those worlds are too dangerous for me?!" Noelle asked, growing increasingly angry
-"I-I never thought it would be this serious when you first fell into one of those! I just thought they were-" Susie tried to explain herself
-"Then why didn't you tell me when you were at my house?" Noelle asked, annoyed
-"..." Susie didn't know what to say
-"I described my dream to you, and you always knew it had really happened!?" Noelle's eyes welled up with tears
-"Everyone thinks I need to be protected from something because 'it's what's best for me!'"
-"N-noelle, i-i.."
-"...and I thought you'd be different from the rest...maybe i really am a weak coward..." Noelle turned to look at the lake, tears streaming down her cheeks
Those last words hit Susie like a truck
Susie didn't know how to respond, she just imitated Noelle by looking at the lake, and it was at that moment that she remembered what she had said before
"There's nothing that pisses me off more than people who don't tell you the whole deal"
She also remembered the moment when she exploded in front of Ralsei, and what he told her after the fight against the Gerson statue
Wow, she really was a hypocrite, wasn't she?
Susie, noticing her behavior, turned to look at Noelle
-"...yeah, you're right...I've been a big hypocrite, heh" Susie glanced at the ground
Susie discreetly moved a little closer to Noelle
"-I...I'm sorry Noelle, you've been the first person who's treated me well since I got here and...I haven't treated you the way I should've, I want you to know that even though what I did was wrong, it was because...I-I...i care about you, And trust me, you're stronger than you seem, But what I did didn't make you think that, and I'm sorry.." Susie managed to explain herself
Noelle lifted her head slightly
-"...do y-you really mean that?" Noelle said, her voice slightly broken
-"of course...i know things Will get difficult from here, but i know someone like you will handle that, I'm sure you could even stand up against your mom, i really mean it..." Susie said, smiling hopefully
-"*sniff*...thanks...Susie" Noelle said, wiping away her tears
-"but...promise me that...You will tell me just the truth" Noelle asked
-"i promise..." Susie replied, blushing
Noelle, feeling slightly more cheerful, moved a little closer to Susie
-"...Susie?" Noelle asked
-"uh huh?" The dragon looked down to her
-"...can we stay here a little longer?" Noelle whispered
-"Uhhh...sure, but I don't think your mom-" Susie nodded while blushing slightly, but was interrupted
-"i don't think i care about that right now..." That was the last thing Noelle said before she gained confidence and snuggled even closer to Susie
Susie and Noelle sat by the riverbank; there was no need to speak, simply gazing at the distant scenery and listening to the gentle flow of the water was enough
But suddenly, Susie felt a faint cold draft, which made her shiver a little
-"Are you cold?" Noelle asked
-"nah, I'm fine" Susie said, still shivering
-"fahaha! Cut the tough act, here, let me help"
Noelle settled in and took off her scarf to give it to Susie, who blushed slightly at Noelle's kindness and closeness
After adjusting it properly, Noelle looked at her a little happier, but then she got distracted and stared at Susie's mouth
Susie noticed Noelle's lost look and asked
-"h-hey, Is everything Good?" Susie asked
-"Y-yeah, just..." Noelle said, still lost in thought
-"You're too beautiful up close" Noelle continued, lowering her voice slightly and looking at Susie with seductive eyes
After saying that, Noelle didn't take her eyes off Susie, It wasn't long before they slowly both brought their faces closer, slowly closing their eyes, and let the magic happen on its own
Have you ever wondered what your first kiss would be like? Would it be cheesy? Would it be intense? Perhaps something in between?
No matter how many times Noelle fantasized about this moment, none would be better than the real moment, the genuine one
All she wanted was to be closer to Susie, to feel her more; her mouth tasted of chalk, moss, and pie, And somehow it was delicious
She couldn't stop running her hand around Susie's hair, Her hair was surprisingly soft
Susie wasn't shy about kissing, but she was inexperienced; sometimes her teeth clashed with Noelle's, but neither of them cared
Without separating, Susie hugged Noelle tightly and fell to the ground on her back, causing Noelle to curl up on top of her
Wow, what an atmosphere Noelle was in now
She imagined if her mother found them right now, she'd probably stab them both with her katana, killing them both at the same time, and honestly? Dying curled up next to your lover doesn't sound so bad
Neither wanted to let the other go; they wanted to stay like this
It seems the festival can wait a little longer