Chapter Text
I sat by the lake, waiting.
I look down at the birds pecking away at the melting ice cream falling from my hands. What a shame. The sticky substance laid on my arm as a reminder that they had in fact left me. They really should have a good explanation tomorrow. They would never leave me for no reason, would they? Of course they wouldn't.
I tried to imagine all the reasons they could’ve possibly left. Maybe they ran into the woods to kiss. A dumb thought, sure but it's not like thought they were a thing for a reason. Still, I’ve been here for a while, there’s no way they were out for that long. Maybe Noelle’s stingy mother took her away for some dumbass reason, but that wouldn’t account for Kris.
I tried to come up with any reason why they had left, and crossed out every single one. Instead, every time I had to come across the same stupid question, did I even deserve them.
…
No obviously I do… I mean we’re a team.
But that nagging feeling in my chest won’t go away.
I mean we’ve only known each other for what, a few days? And… to be honest, I was kind of an asshole…
The thought lingered in my head before I got up and dropped the ice cream cones in the trash.
It’s no matter, I still have Ralsei to talk to, and it’s not like they can both ditch me at school tomorrow… right? Whatever, it’s time to go home.
…
When I got back to Castle Town, it was kind of quiet. I mean not in the literal sense but it felt like I wasn’t really supposed to be here.
When I went to Ralsei's castle and saw him walking back and forth, biting his finger or whatever goats have, I took the opportunity to quietly walk up behind him and scare him.
Usually this shouldn’t work, I mean I’m not really the quietest of walkers, but as I walked up behind Ralsei, he didn’t notice a thing. He was obviously focused on something, but what I still do not know.
“Boo!” I say jumping in front of him. I couldn’t bring myself to laugh after the fact.
He screamed and jumped, falling on his bottom dropping whatever he had “Ahh! S-Susie?” He said adjusting his altered glasses. He swiped the debris on his clothes and willed his way up. “W-what are you do-”
“What am I doing here~” I say in a nerdy mocking voice. I pause then explain. “Noelle and Kris left me to do fuck all and I didn’t want to wander the festival alone so I came here. It’s closing soon anyways.”
And then, I saw it. The slight shift in Ralsei’s demeanor. He might’ve done his best to hide it but I could still tell, the way his ears drooped, the way his eyes twitched, the way he pulled on his chest, and the way he swallowed right before he talked.
“Eh- um” He took a deep breath “That’s… quite alright Susie, you still have us… And plus you can ask them why at school tomorrow.”
I knew. That he was keeping something to himself, he had to know something… but I didn’t want to believe something had happened to them, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Yeah…”
It was an awkward and long silence, until finally I spoke up.
“You should probably get some sleep Susie. I know it’s been a long day for you. And Castle Town is always here for you”
“Thanks Ralsei”
I went back to my room in Castle Town. And jumped on the bed.
Before closing my eyes. For the first time in a while, maybe ever actually, I… prayed. I usually don’t, it’s all horseshit anyways, but maybe, just maybe… On the slight chance the Angel truly exists, maybe they can give me grace.
…
Forget it. I didn’t know what I was praying for anyways. Kris and Noelle are going back tomorrow anyways. We’re gonna have a laugh about it and I’m gonna slap Kris on the face for making me worried.
There’s always tomorrow.
…
School was boring. As usual. But today it was even more boring! I didn’t know it could get this bad! Alphys gave us a free period today, saying that they should take the day off to work on our group project and whatever we have to do. She looked really tired today for some reason.
This would normally be a really good thing. I wouldn’t have to rot at school learning about pointless things. Yet today was different, Kris and Noelle didn’t show up today. I have no idea why. Maybe they got sick.
I walked out of school today with nothing to do and nothing in mind. So I just walked.
Big mistake, walking around all I heard were murmurs of Kris and Noelle from the town.
“Didn’t you hear? That holiday girl and that human child disappeared.”
“Do you think they ran off?”
“The girl probably got tired of her overbearing mother, I wouldn’t blame her. Losing her sister and maybe father must be hard”
And it pissed me off.
I slammed on the stop sign near the park. What do THEY know about Noelle, about Kris. They never bothered to be friends with Kris, they know nothing about what Noelle went through, they didn’t know about the dark worlds. They know NOTHING.
…
I walked over to Flower King, Kris’ Dad’s shop. When I got there I peeked into the window and saw Noelle’s mom… crying? I never knew she could do that.
I didn’t want to interrupt them so I waited outside. They took a while to finish talking but I went in eventually.
Asgore took a while to register my existence, but after a while. He gave me a smile.
“Hey, you’re… Susie right?”
I gave a nod of approval
And all of a sudden. The weirdest thing in the world happened. He ran up to me and… gave me a hug?
“I-Uh… Mr. Dreemurr? What’re you-“
He pulled back from the hug “Sorry Sorry!” He paused before asking a question. “Are you here to buy flowers?”
I nod “…Yeah”
“Well… that’s good.” He turned around and went and brought back a bouquet filled Chrysanthemums interspersed with some sturdy blue Forget-Me-Nots. “It’s on the house”
For free? In this economy? Well I’ll be dammed
“Thank you a lot Mr. Dreemurr”
“It’s.. no problem”
…
We part ways as I walk over to the hospital. I walked through the hospital, up the stairs to Room 304. I gently open the door into the room of Rudy Holiday.
When I open the door he’s looking at the window, somberly. He then quickly turns his head to me, returning a big smile.
“Hey there Kiddo. The name’s Susie, correct?”
“You… know me?”
“Of course I do! Elly talks a LOT about you.” He paused taking a look at the flowers “And of course, she’s a great judge of character”
I scratch the back of my hair. “It’s nothing.”
“Well don’t be shy! Come, take a seat. I want to meet this Susie I’ve been hearing about”
…
We had a surprisingly nice chat. I honestly thought he would be a bit stingy with how Carol was like, but he was quite serene. He kept yapping about one time in a Christmas past where Kris gave Noelle a massive present, but when Noelle opened it was just empty cardboard. Rudy had to buy an extra present for Noelle to stop her from crying and Asriel had to spend his weekend making sure Kris was taught their lesson.
Man Kris was lowkey an asshole.
Anyways our conversation was prematurely interrupted when a nurse barged into the room and dragged me out.
“You really should let Mr. Holiday rest. He’s going through a lot right now.” Which was… understandable. And plus the stench of the hospital was getting unbearable.
He waved me goodbye as I closed the hospital door. “Thank you Susie”
I didn’t know how to respond, I just closed the door. There’s always tomorrow anyways.
…
I was bored. Really bored. Of course, there’s always Castle Town, but seriously nothing was happening. It’s like the world grinded to a halt.
I kept asking Ralsei for answers, answers about Kris and Noelle. He’s a nerd, a know-it-all, so he surely should have at least one answer. But he kept dodging me. I gave up after a while, I just asked him to train me, he agreed.
He lectured me on a few things, most of it went in one ear and out the other, but hey I did remember a few things. One thing I remembered was that a Lightner’s power in the dark world roughly translates from a combination of their will, their dreams, and their real world strength. I mean, that sounds cool enough, but what the hell am I supposed to do with that information.
Anyways I did some sparring at the dojo and went to bed. The Darkners at the dojo were pretty lackluster, but it’ll have to do for now. There’s always tomorrow.
…
It’s been 3 days since that day.
School has been boring, nothing notable. Alphys has been lenient, more than usual. I was especially late to school today but she didn’t even write me a note! Well that’s good at least.
Unfortunately not all has been well… let’s get the bad out of the way.
Rudy died. Or “fell down” whatever the stupid doctors say.
I only knew him for a little while, but still, he was a nice dude. He didn’t deserve to get sick and die, and Noelle didn’t deserve to lose her father so early.
Ah… Noelle. On the topic they STILL haven’t come back to school, or anywhere at the matter. The town is starting to lose hope, I see missing posters on the street everywhere. Not like it’ll do anything, this town is small, everyone knows each other’s face.
It’s all… unbelievable.
Rudy’s funeral is planned in a month. Toriel came up to me and asked if I wanted to come and spare any words.
I agreed of course. I could feel Carol’s fiery glare as I obliged. That glare felt like a strong “you don’t belong.” Doesn’t matter though, I’m used to it.
As much as I hate her guts, I didn’t make any fuss. I don’t blame her too much, losing her husband and daughter will make most people crazy. It doesn’t excuse her actions or anything. But… it’s understandable, I’m not dumb.
The Roaring Knight has been quite inactive as of recently. I have no idea why, I’m just thankful. It does leave my day open, which I spend mainly in Castle Town, doing whatever.
I keep walking through Kris’s room through the hall on the way to my own. I couldn’t imagine Kris losing. That’s just silly... It doesn’t matter though. There is always tomorrow.
…
It’s been 5 days since that day.
Today the project was due. The project that me and Kris were assigned to. I didn’t bother asking for an extension or completing it. I have better things to do, no?
Despite my lack of… anything, Alphys still gave me a 50. It’s better than a 0 that’s for sure, but that doesn’t matter.
After school I spend most of my day at Castle Town, I barely go to my apartment anymore. It’s not like there’s anything there for me there.
I’ve asked Ralsei about Kris and Noelle countless times now. And every time he tells me to relax. How can I relax? How can I relax knowing my friends are missing, alone.
He knows something, it’s easy to see. But… why would he hide something from me unless it’s bad for me to know?
No use thinking about it now. There’s always tomorrow after all.
…
It’s been 2 weeks since that day.
Nothing is happening. They haven’t come back yet.
Are they ever coming back?
…
I sat at a table across from Ralsei. He loved to drink tea in the early afternoon.
“It isn’t good to dwell on these things. And Susie… you need to eat. It’s obvious you’re malnouris-”
“SHUT UP!” I slammed the table we were sitting on. Ralsei flinched, jumping from his chair a little.
“S-Susie? You okay?”
“Sorry… it’s just. Why? Why won’t you tell me anything!” I sat up from my chair leaning over the table. “You’re not a good liar Ralsei. At least right now you aren’t. Why won’t you tell me anything? Is it because you don’t trust me? You don’t believe I can handle it? That I can’t stop trying. That I can’t give up hope.”
I regretted it the moment he broke down in tears right in front of me. His glasses fell from his eyes and he didn’t care. His ears dropped as he started sobbing on the ground. “I-I’m S-s-sorry”
“No no no it’s not your fault. Please, just let it all out. Take your time.”
He slowly rose up from his seat. After taking a deep inhale and exhale and a really, really, long pause, he began explaining it to me.
“… I-I really didn’t w-want to be the one to tell you this.” He stopped for a moment. “K-Kris and Noelle are dead.”
“… what”
“I don’t know much about it e-either!”
He grabbed his elbow with his other arm. Tightening the grasp as he shivered.
“I just know… if Kris doesn’t return to a dark world after the festival… that...” He took an audible swallow. I was stunned.
“How do you know that?.. How can you possibly know that” I still clung onto some hope… I know I’m pathetic.
“I don’t know! It’s just… it’s like something coded into my head.”
“Can you trust that? Can you believe that that’s true?”
“I-I… I don’t know”
“Then it’s settled… They’re not dead. They can’t be”
What followed was a prolonged silence of nothing.
“… but I am sure of one thing”
“… okay. Spill it out”
“I know that the Angel, our Angel, has left us.”
“…so what”
“So, there is no tomorrow for us. We’re done Susie. We have no use.”
I didn’t dig in any further.
…
It’s been a month since that day.
I’ve stopped going to school. It’s such a waste of time anyways. I spend most of my days now in the dojo. The number of new participants is dwindling.
Ralsei’s been around. I still talk with him, but things are different now. He always puts on that stupid smile. Why couldn’t I see it earlier? He keeps telling me to take care of myself. I’m doing fine as is.
I can feel myself getting stronger. If that Knight ever comes back I am going to beat their ass. But they haven’t done anything. They’re still gone.
It was Rudy’s funeral today. It was… rough to say the least. I didn’t even know a monster could cry as much as Asgore did in his eulogy. Carol looks like a different person now, I think she knows too.
At the end of the day, they poured Rudy’s dust into the lake.
Life’s been stale. Apparently Asriel was supposed to come back a few weeks back, but he never did, and the internet is still out. Nothing is happening in this town.
…
It’s been 2 months since that day.
Finally some good news arrived… or maybe it’s bad news. Berdly woke up 2 weeks ago. He doesn’t remember anything past entering the library, which is good. The less people who know about the Dark Worlds the better.
Just because he got out of his coma doesn’t mean he’s necessarily better. He’s still bedridden and according to him he feels like his bones are made of ice, his feathers made of needles.
I’ve been coming to his room more often. Soon he will be discharged and it’s good to see a familiar face finally, even if it’s Berdly. He keeps trying to play Dragon Blazers with me even though I don’t even play games. I keep telling him no and he keeps pretending to have a heart attack whenever I do. Does he think it’ll force me to play with him?… unfortunately it worked.
I was talking with Ralsei about the possibility of inviting him to Castle Town. I said to wait a little while until he can walk and until Kris and Noelle come back. Ralsei was a little hesitant but he agreed.
Ralsei also nagging got me going to the Light World more often. I started working at the Librarby, even though I can’t really read books. It was about to close down because Berdly doesn’t work there anymore, I feel like I had to do something to make it up for Nerdly, make it up for them.
It feels like things are maybe making a turn for the better,
…
It’s been about 3 months since that day, and it’s Christmas Eve.
It’s not quite the same with everything happening over the past quarter year, but the town still attempted to create some joy, which was needed especially now.
Carol began working as Mayor again, it’s not like anyone else would be a good fit. Berdly was finally discharged from the hospital, which is good, but he still has to use crutches for a while.
The first thing he did when he got out was to steal my job from the Librarby, which was honestly a major relief. I was gonna die of boredom if I had to do that for one more month.
I hang out with Berdly most of the time in the Light World. I thought he was a pretentious geek, but he’s actually pretty chill… still a geek though.
On the afternoon on Christmas Eve I decided to invite a Berdly on a walk to the Lake. At first he thought he was stupid, but he changed his mind soon after.
We sat on the bench near the lake.
“So, Susan… what brings us here”
“I told you to stop calling me that. It’s been like what, 3-4 months? You’re kind of dragging it dude. And plus, can people not just enjoy a walk in a nice place.”
“Sorry that Susan just rolls off the tongue I suppose…” He stops “But out of all places… the lake? I don’t think this is the best place for reminiscing, for me, or for you.” He backtracks “It’s beautiful… don’t get me wrong… but it doesn’t exude the best… how do I put it… aura?”
I chuckle “Out of all of the words from the English dictionary that you learned for that stupid spelling bee, you used ‘Aura?’”
He looks away clearly embarrassed. “Relax, I’m just… rusty.”
He freezes as he looks up into the sky… at something.
“Hey Susan, look up there. Is that… a shooting star?”
I look up, seeing a streak of light red light in the sky.
“Yeah… that looks like one alright.”
We pause to admire the sight. We haven’t seen anything like it in ages. But then… I noticed.
“Hey… doesn’t that look like it’s coming straight at us?”
“So I’m not the only who notic-“
The sound of the falling star began to ring in my ears, quickly I jumped over to Berdly and grabbed him*
“STOP NERDING OUT AND DODGE YOU BIG IDIOT!”
I dashed away as the star landed right where we were talking.
“I-uh… thank you?”
“No need to thank me”
We ran to investigate the rubble, and as the dust settled, we saw… a ridiculous sight.
A… human? No, that's definitely a human, with light brown hair and an oversized blue sweater with purple stripes. They grunted as they grabbed the floor and raised their head, looking straight at me.
“Who the fuck are you?”