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Ralsei glanced over his shoulder as the door creaked behind him. Framed through the lens of his glasses stood Noelle, standing awkwardly in his doorway as she glanced around his room.
“S-sorry, I tried to knock, but the door swung open anyways…” she apologized, staring down at the floor.
“Oh, there's no need to apologize, Noelle! You're always welcome in my room,” Ralsei cheerfully replied.
“Thank you…” Noelle took a couple of steps inside, barely noticing as the door slowly swung shut behind her. Ralsei had never been the best at reading social cues, despite having improved over the past couple of adventures, but even he could tell something was bothering the doe.
“This is a nice room…” Noelle commented, absentmindedly twisting the tip of one of her hooves back and forth on the wooden floor, “The… uhm, cauldron seems a little out of place, though…?”
“Why thank you!” Ralsei looked back at the large, bubbling pot in the center of his room, “This used to be in the foyer, although I moved it up here during yesterday's renovations. Did you want me to make you something?”
“Make me… what, exactly?” Noelle curiously tilted her head.
“Anything!” Ralsei tried to strike the pose he usually did with Kris and Susie after they found each other in a dark world, “It can usually take some practice, but I can make anything you want from this! Sweet treats, elixirs, clothes-”
“Clothes?”
“-furniture, lunches, and new bullet patterns!”
“Uhm, wow!” Noelle stepped a little closer to the cauldron as if to confirm Ralsei’s list. “Think you could make something to help me relax?” She laughed sadly.
Ralsei couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. He’d sparsely spoken to Noelle, much less without other people around, but he’d known she had been through a lot recently.
“...Perhaps,” Ralsei adjusted his glasses, trying to remember what he had and hadn’t already put in the cauldron today, “Is that what you came here for? I thought you would have left with Kris and Susie.”
“Oh! No, s-sorry, you don’t need to make me anything!” Noelle averted her eyes, “I know Susie and Kris could use my help searching the church for that code, but… I really just needed to take a break.”
Ralsei remained silent, which he had found to be a good method to get people to continue talking.
“I k-know it’s selfish, but b-between my mom yelling at me, my dad falling down, and finding out about,” the deer gestured vaguely around her, “all of this- I really just needed to sit down for a couple of hours.”
“That’s… very understandable.” Ralsei sat down politely on his bed, patting the space next to him. Noelle sat with little to no hesitation. “All of this is quite a lot for anyone to go through, let alone having your own problems in the light world.”
Noelle sighed, staring at her hooves. Unsure if it was the right choice, Ralsei elected to scoot closer.
“I want Castle Town to be a home you can come to no matter what may be going on in your life.” Noelle glanced up at Ralsei, the goat registering how watery her eyes seemed. “There is nothing selfish about coming here. I-”
Ralsei was quickly silenced as Noelle wrapped her arms around him.
“T-thank you…” she whispered, gripping him tighter.
“I- Uhm- I-” Ralsei tried to ignore how quickly his face was heating up. “You’re welcome, Noelle.”
Ralsei hugged Noelle back, holding her gently as the two sat in silence for a few moments. He felt something wet on his shoulder, politely ignoring it.
“Do you mean that…?” Noelle asked in a voice so quiet Ralsei second-guessed if he had imagined it.
“...About it being selfish?” Ralsei asked.
“N-no, about this- about Castle Town being a home,” Noelle clarified.
“Oh. Of course I meant it, Noelle! You’re free to come here any time you like!”
“What if I… stayed here?”
Ralsei looked up. Attempting to look her in the eye, he tried to loosen their hug, but Noelle only gripped him tighter. Ralsei matched her hold.
“You are always welcome to stay here as long as you like.”
Noelle sniffled, burying her face in Ralsei’s shoulder. He held her tighter, to two remaining locked together well into the evening.