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"So uh..."
"Guess there's. More of you than I thought, huh."
*Susie is looking at you with that quizzical squint you've grown to recognize. You can peer through her amber eyes and see the gears turning in her head, digesting and processing the new information with a thoroughness and speed known to very few.
*(it's late. you're in Castle Town. ♥Your Castle Town. all three of you (well, four now) are shaken up by what happened with your dad. With Noelle's dad too. Noelle is too angry and too scared of herself to talk to either of you)
*(you barely convinced her to come here in the first place)
*(Noelle is talking to Ralsei. who's not doing good either. you both figured it would be better for them to indulge in her need to please and be helpful for a while before you try and gently confront them)
*(besides, you and Susie need to work things out)
"You figure you know how many?"
*Three, now. There is too much space taken up here already.
*(we don't know that...)
*...
♥"Three we think, but there could be more."
*Spineless centrist.
*(be quiet, Susie is talking)
"Three...I guess that sort of makes sense...you acting all different all of the sudden sometimes"
*You gulp and blush. Have you really been that obvious? Not even your brother knows for sure who takes the reigns of your mind-
"Hey. Look at me."
*(she grabs your head by the chin, as gently as her big, clawed hands allow. your heart races.)
"It's not a bad thing, alright? We're...none of us are the best at any of this. I didn't have anyone I could be cool with here until I met you and Ralsei and Lancer. Noelle is...messed up about her family. And Ralsei..."
*Susie turns her head downwards, bangs covering her eyes for a moment. A hand on your shoulder squeezes slightly, muscles under tight, purple scaled skin quivering, each cord containing the power of suns, each nerve working to control that force against the storm in her mind.
"Listen, we'll figure it out. We'll figure it out."
*(she looks back up. her smile lacks confidence, yet radiates hope. it's warming you. it's infectious.),
"Let's...start out on the right food then. Like it's the first time we've met. Cause we...we kinda have I guess... what's your name?"
*A shiver runs up your spine as your eyes widen. You are starting to panic. I am starting to panic. Susie. She. She can't know usshecan'tshe
♥ Shhhhhh
*(...steady now, buddy. it's her. it'll be fine),
*....
♥ "My name is [%FILENAME]. But since I'm new, and the other two are almost always with me, I'd prefer to be called 'Kris'"
"...heh. Cool name."
--------------------
*(you and Susie talk for an hour. it'll probably be okay. time moves different here.),
*You share much of what you are to her. Probably too much. She asks questions about Dess and Asriel that make your cheeks burn and your skin crawl...
*(your answers seem to cause the same thing. but she understands. even if she thinks it's weird.)
*Especially if she thinks you are weird. Susie is drinking in your strangeness like it is water. Attempting to understand the mosaic that is you.
*(us)
*...us...
"Alright...I think I got most of it...do you...do you think Ralsei knows what they are?"
*A shiver runs up your spine. For all your openness, being an open book about Ralsei once being an avatar in your head, you never even stopped to consider what she told you.
*(when you closed your eyes. and we let ♥you look inside her head for a little bit),
*You come to the realization as to why. It is simple really. But just this once, you will have to tell only a fragment of the truth.
*You are not yet ready to reveal all that you can do.
*(...that softer part of you reluctantly agrees.)
♥"...Yes. But they told us only when I wasn't fronting."
"Oh...how much does that happen? Thought you said you were the uh. 'Host' or whatever."
(you gulp. you hope Susie doesn't notice)
♥"Not often but...she can tell when. They didn't want me to know. I think because of the prophecy."
*Susie squints her eyes, her mouth that small line she can sometimes make that tells you she thinks something is amiss.
"... that's kinda bullshit. You were just uh. 'Born' I guess. They should've told you more. Hell, she should have told all of us more"
*(she releases most of her anger in a long sigh. no matter what, she can't get mad at them. something happened in the cyber world that made Susie and Ralsei much more kindred. you aren't bold enough to press.)
♥"Yes. It was, but. We can tell her about it soon. Maybe now."
"You uh...you sure? You seem kinda tired..."
*Your eyes are heavy. Your voice is scoured. You haven't had to use it this much in weeks and it is starting to show. The fingers of exhaustion are curling around your brain.
*(if we don't do it today, she'll be so much worse),
...case in point... however, you are not sure if you are capable-
♥We're doing it.
*...it appears I am outvoted.
♥"...no. Let's do it now. They need it."
"Alright just...be gentle, Kris..."
♥"...we will"
-----------------
*You are both approaching the door to Ralsei's room in the darkest corner of this castle.
*(Susie is slowing down a bit. she's looking all around. not smiling)
*You swear you see something pink and gold in the Darker than Dark...
"Kris are...are you really sure about this? "
*She is hesitating. You recognize the tremble in her voice as one of her rare instances of fear.,
(if Ralsei wanted to, they could burn this whole dark world down),
♥"I'm sure. She won't hurt us."
"...fine, if you're sure, dork."
*(you move to the door and push it open. you hear someone crying behind it.)
*Scorched furnishings of various degrees of usefulness, all of them rendered completely ineffectual now. Some still smoldering. Susie is moving quickly to stomp out the remaining embers.
*(Ralsei hears it, so she turns around. glasses so fogged with tears that you can't even see their eyes)
'K...Kris...Susie...I...I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in...'
*Susie steps closer to them, her arms widening, but Ralsei backs towards the window, mewling like a cornered animal
"W-wait! I'm not gonna hurt ya, dude. Just. Just hear us out."
*(Ralsei not saying anything. just trembling.)
♥Tell them everything.
*...you gulp. You try putting your gauntlet to your face to stop yourself.
*(but you don't. the words pour out.)
*You tell them both all you know about your condition.,
*(you tell Ralsei what you think they are)
*You tell her what you told Susie about December
*(at some point you stumble to your knees. Susie has to pick you up)
"Hey. Hey. Take a rest. Calm down. I think you're uhm...just letting too much out."
(...Ralsei hasn't been stone faced the whole time, but she's barely moved. just trembling. sobbing.)
'K...Kris...I...why did you tell Susie...that wasn't...we were going to save everyone. I was going to-'
"We agreed that WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN"
*(she's growling. she's almost roaring. your eyes widen. your breath hitches.),
*...So does Ralsei's. The force of her voice knocks them to the floor.
"Listen...."
*(she sighs and sets you down gently)
"Today...today was a lot. It was too much for you both. Too much for me. Mr. Dreemurr is gone, with the Knight. Mr. Holiday is hurt super bad. Noelle...she's cut up. About that, about her mom, about us lying to her..."
*She sounds wounded with that last sentence. Her eyes look heavy. Weighed down with anger and regret and so much more. But she resumes.
"But we'll be alright, okay? That's what we do for each other. And if Kris wants to save Noelle's sister so bad, that's what we're going to do for her too. And we will need you for that, Ralsei."
*(She gets up close to the Goat-like Darkner. Ralsei initially tries scooting back but stop as she holds their hand)
"I don't care if you think you're 'useless' as a party member. You aren't. I don't care if you can't control your fire. We need you here because you help us through all this. Not just the puzzles or the battles or all the other bullshit, but. This. All of us. Saving the world."
'...'
*Ralsei seems to fall into Susie. Her fur pushed up against her skin and chest. Susie blushes, but she takes both them and you into your arms.
*(you start blushing too. it's making Susie even more red. making Ralsei...)
"Alright you dorks, alright. Just hug it out...just, remember we have to make Noelle's room. And get a bit more rest before we go out..."
*Both you and Ralsei nod. Your eyes meet theirs and your heart flutters. It flutters with everyone.
*(you don't know what that means yet. Susie is happy with Noelle. Ralsei won't. let this happen...)
*...But for just this moment, you do not think about that. You do not think about the danger, the oncoming storm. You do not think about what it will take to bring Dess back.
*(you just feel the warmth of Ralsei's fur and Susie's skin against your own.)
*And for once in your life, you close your eyes...
♥And you don't hear the whispers of anyone else.