YOUR POV:
The journey continued like it always did. You found a new 'enemy' that wasn't really that interested in fighting. A white blob named 'Rabbick' had jumped out of the bushes, nearly making you shit out your lung. After blowing all the dust off it, a tiny bunny was left, and you spared it. You've calmed down just a little bit.But you were unsure if you were ready to face her yet-
Oh.
"Susie...! Lancer...!" Ralsei's eyes widened, seeing the two standing in the way of the rest of the path.
You averted your gaze. Or at least, tried to. Your eyes kept drifting to the duo even when you didn't want to see her. Much to your relief, she didn't even seem to glance at you. Should you be upset that she didn't look at you? You had no idea anymore.
Susie snickered as Lancer spoke.
"Well if it isn't the so-called Heroes!"
"Are you finally ready to see what happens..." Susie spoke next after him. A beat of quiet went by, and she elbowed the boy beside her. He snapped out of whatever daze he might've been in.
"When you try to act soft..."
Oh lord, they were taking turns speaking. You watched something like this on TV when you ate your cereal in the morning. It was cheesy, but you watched it anyways.
"Against a team that crushes ANYONE in their way?"
"Dark Jack Lancer!"
"Violent Ax Susie!"
The two turned to each other and attempted to speak in sync. It was very much out of sync, and they mumbled and babbled.
"Together we are... The DARK Delta-Simps!"
Susie's ax went up whilst on fire as she posed dramatically. Lancer put one arm up and held the other close to his chest. You coughed, trying to disguise the small, stifled laugh that left you. It was cheesy, but you could appreciate a good villain intro. The names could use some work, but you weren't one to complain.
But if you had to complain about something, you would complain about how she was already getting close to Lancer. You had to spend so much time with her for her to even tolerate you.
"Um... So what's your, um, evil plan?" Ralsei spoke up after nobody did.
Lancer and Susie turned to him like he was the weird one.
She huffed and ran her fingers through her thick hair. "Huh? Dude, we JUST formed our team. We haven't done anything past our intro yet."
Lancer pouted and crossed his arms. "Have a little patience please..."
"Oh, um, sorry..." Ralsei apologized and bowed his head. "We're, um, looking forward to the rest!"
Kris elbowed him with a small smile, as if to say, "Yeah, Ralsei, patience.". But Ralsei had the most patience of anyone you'd met. You had to take notes. God forbid you snapped at that prince. Kris seemed chill, but you preferred to keep it a mystery as to what happened when they got mad.
"Heh, well you won't have to look forward for long." Susie grinned.
"Starting now, we're going to work ceaselessly!" Lancer exclaimed, pointing his finger at the sky in either drama or emphasis. You couldn't tell which one it was.
"Unstoppably..."
"To make an evil plan to thrash you clowns."
Susie turned away, and her eyes met yours for a second. You looked away first. Wow. What an interesting floor. That was a floor. Peculiar. You failed to notice that Kris' hand went to pat your shoulder, but they quickly dropped it. Susie noticed, though.
"Watch your backs." She said as she began to walk off.
"And your fronts!" Lancer added with a thumbs up before he chased after the purple girl.
Yeah... You would do that for sure. Gotta make sure there wasn't drool stains on your shirt. Nobody in the group spoke for a second, trying to process what had just happened. Did they just pull a Team Rocket?
"Uh, let's go?" You urged everyone, after some hesitation.
Kris gave a nod and led the way. Large red hedges that towered over you lined the pathways. As you turned the corner, two more Rabbick's jumped out of the hedges. You knew that they liked to jump out, but if they kept doing that, you would die purely from shock.
You readied yourself for the attack after blowing away the dust off of them. Ohhh dust bunnies! That made sense. You twist your way out of the carrots that were thrown at you. After a few battles, you got familiar with how to move and attack. This was, embarrassingly enough, the most you've worked out in a while.
A few more turns and a bit more walking, Susie and Lancer stood by a tree stump. You were going to steal Ralsei's hat and hide in there forver. Why did fate and karma hate you so much? There was some higher being just pushing you to talk to her again.
"How's the evil scheming going?" Ralsei asked Susie as you tried looking for something to stare at.
"Huh? Oh that?" Susie looked up from what she was doing. She shrugged and looked back at the stump. "We, uh, got bored. So we're having a snack."
"...I see." He had patience, but boy, he could sound judgmental. As long as you weren't on the receiving end, it was funny.
"C'mon! All I ate for breakfast was chalk!"
"And I didn't eat anything!" Lancer piped up with a happy grin.
You opened your mouth to scold her about it but bit your tongue before you could. You had to make up with her before you could nag her about her bad eating habits. Had enough time passed for you to apologize? Was there like a countdown until it was acceptable for you to talk to Susie?
You didn't even know how it would go. 'Hey, Susie! My buddy, chum, pal, friend, buddy, pal, chum, bud, friend, fella, bruther, amigo, pal, buddy, friend, chummy chum chum pal! Sorry that I provoked you! I was lowkey highkey upset that you chose a child you had just met over me! Hahah! That's why I provoked you, and now I feel kind of guilty because I don't know if you actually think I'm a chore to have around. I don't like having you mad at me!'
Mhm, that was sure to fly well with her.
"Sorry. What are you two having exactly?" Ralsei looked over her shoulder.
"Just a daily treasure I hid in this stump's orifice." Lancer said with a smirk. He looked a little too proud of what he had just said.
"And that is...?"
"Feast for yourself, my main man!"
Ralsei frowned, not exactly happy with being his 'main man'. He looked at you two with a wince. How painful that must've been for a baker. And how painful it was for you as someone who snacked a lot. "Errr... Do you guys wanna try it?"
You stared at where the food would be. With a shrug, you walked forward to the stump. Kris was behind you and peered into the stump. Inside was a honey pot filled with salsa. You dipped two fingers inside, and a red sauce with weird lumps dripped off. A gag nearly escaped your throat. Stepping aside to let Kris get some before you ate it.
They looked deep into the stump. Kris stared for a few moments, not doing or saying anything. They took a breath before putting their hand inside. Their face was in a twisted in an uncomfortable way as they went to scoop some up. The muscles in their arms looked tense.
"You don't have to try it if you don't wanna." You say, seeing them grumble in discomfort. Something was different, but you couldn't tell what it was.
Kris shook their head firmly. They took a few more deep breaths before continuing to try to get the salsa. It took a second, but they managed to take some. Their hands were shaking as they quickly ate it. You followed and tasted it before it dripped out of your hand.
What in the world. It tasted indescribable. That wasn't an insult, nor was it praise. Your brain short circuited when you attempted to think about what it tasted like. Wiping your hand on your pants, you cringed. Maybe you shouldn't eat random things in pots that your enemy gave you.
Something inside you was restored. Not your health or energy. Whatever it was, it was back up.
Kris looked strangely content. Did it taste good to them? Eh, to each their own. It was an experience unlike any other. Yet again, not an insult or compliment. Just a statement.
You felt Susie's eyes on you when you went to Kris' side. Was it alright for you to utter a word in her direction, or was she still on the brink of murdering you? A small sigh of relief left you when she stopped and looked away.
"Mmm... Hey, what's in this?" She asked as she took another scoop and ate it.
"I don't know!" Lancer answered cheerfully and continued to scarf it down.
Kris and you looked at each other at the same time. Your face contorted into one of disgust, and you could see a repulsed look behind their bangs. Covering your mouth with your hand, you frantically shook your head. No more eating weird salsas. No more.
Mumbles could be heard from them as they rubbed their face with the pink scarf on their neck. Ralsei, that lucky bastard, was free from the mystery salsa.
The three of you moved along, leaving the two to their meal. If a pot of salsa could even be called a meal. But you ate shredded cheese in place of dinner some nights, maybe you weren't the best judge of that.
Kris walked onward into the next area. They seemed preoccupied with some of their own thoughts that they kept going. A gasp left you and you grabbed at the back of their shirt to pull them back to your side. Ahead was some sort of machine that swung a line of attacks in a circle.
They looked over at you with wide eyes and muttered an apology under their breath. You let go of them and stared at the automated spinning attack.
"Don't worry about it. You okay?" You glance at them.
Kris nodded, fixing their posture and standing up straight.
Ralsei watched with an anxious face. "Let's be careful, guys!"
"Yes yes, my prince." You answered as you followed Kris, who rushed forward when it was swinging away.
There were four machines that spun. The one that Kris went to follow led right back to the start, much to their annoyance. You sharply inhaled as the tips of the white brushed against your arm. A scratch formed where it did, and you held it with your other hand as you got out of that stupid area.
"Oh my! Are you alright?" Ralsei watched as you wiped away your blood.
"Just a scratch! Don't worry 'bout it." You lazily smile with a small wink. It hurt like hell for a scratch, but they didn't have to know that. You clenched your jaw, waiting for the hot spike of pain to subside.
Susie and Lancer stood in front of an easel with blue paper and white scribbles all over it. How did they get there before you did? You really had to stop questioning how this place worked. Her head turned when the words 'scratch' left your lips, but she looked away just as quickly.
You lingered by the large board with card symbols on it. Kris stayed next to you as Ralsei talked to the other two. They looked at you like they wanted to say something, but they didn't know what. It uneased you a bit, feeling their stare as you read the instructions for the puzzle.
"Can I help youu?" You questioned, drawing out the syllables as you spoke. Meeting their eyes, you could see the hint of red behind their bangs. Huh, they had red eyes? You never really noticed. The bangs were only a bit in the way.
Kris shook their head and looked away to where Ralsei talked to Susie and Lancer. Susie was saying something about spoilers, but you weren't paying close attention. "Sorry."
"I'm not going to get snappy with you if that's what you're worried about." You said as you began to mess with the buttons to see what they did. Resetting the puzzle, you begin to copy the passcode over it.
"T-That's not it."
"What is it then?"
"I don't know how to say it."
"Well, maybe you could-"
The spikes in the way of the path went down with a loud click. Susie and Lancer turned to look at you. Well, it was more like Lancer looked at you and Susie stared at Kris behind you. They both looked back at the clear path. Grinning, they high-fived each other.
"Heh thanks for doing the puzzle for us losers!" Susie yelled as they both ran away.
"Hahaha! Thank you so much, losers! We were having trouble!" Lancer snickered, jumping into the air in celebration.
...
The two stopped where they were, nearly tripping from the sudden halt. They looked at each other before running back. Susie grabbed one end of the board and Lancer took the other. She scratched the back of her neck with a glance at you three.
"We, uh, need this." She mumbled. And with that, they were off and away.
This felt like the weirdest excuse for coming home late. Probably because it was. What would you say? 'Hey guys! Sorry I'm late for dinner! I fell into a closet with my classmates, I met a cute prince with a nice hat, I'm part of a prophecy, I'm pretty sure my only friend hates me and she's now plotting evil things, but I'm making friends with the quiet kid, oh yeah, we have to save the world and I have a cool hammer!'
That actually might work on dad...
Another puzzle was next, but from the looks of it, you could go ahead without it.
"Kris, do you want to do this one?" Ralsei asked while he looked between the symbols and spikes that blocked a pathway upward.
They nodded as they pressed the card symbols randomly. Not to anyone's surprise, it didn't work.
"Let's find the passcode then! It must be around here somewhere..."
"I'll stay behind and you just hollar 'em over." You sit down against the wall. Maybe it was a bit of an excuse to relax for a bit. You caught a glimpse of an enemy running back and forth on the path. You could do without a fight for a minute or two.
"Do you- Should I- Uhm, nevermind. Sorry." Kris quickly put a stop to their stuttering, turning away so you couldn't see their face.
You look over at Ralsei, but he seemed equally confused. He looked back and forth between you two before rushing to Kris' side. He turned around, sending you a thumbs-up as he turned a corner. You didn't know what that entailed, but you shot him back a thumbs up too.
Once they were out of sight, you closed your eyes. Now for that apology...
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RALSEI POV:
Ralsei stared at Kris' back with narrowed eyes. He wasn't angry or anything of the sort. Just very deep in thought. He might be slow with certain topics, but he still paid attention. The way Kris kept opening their mouth and raising their hand to tap your shoulder wasn't the most subtle thing.
You and Susie weren't off the hook, though. The prince would find a way to make you and her make up from the argument. He found his sunny disposition quite frightening at times.
He couldn't have problems in his friend group. Not in these dark realm suburbs. How are they supposed to live, laugh, and seal dark dangerous fountains in these conditions? He ain't havin' it.
"There's a spade." Kris pointed out, pointing to a small white sign near the dense plot of trees. They turned and pointed to another one. "Diamond."
"SPADE AND DIAMOND!" Ralsei shouted, and a second later, you yelled back with an "okay!".
Kris apparently had better places to go (which made sense), but Ralsei quickly stopped them before they could leave for the next area. Were they in a rush? Yeah, of course. There was a fountain to seal. But heyyy! What was a few minutes?
"Kris?"
They stopped and looked back with a small hum.
"Are you okay?"
Ralsei didn't get a response for a second. The two simply stared at each other in complete silence. Neither of them seemed to give in, though. He'd spent an eternity alone. He could wait a few minutes for a response.
"Just confused."
"About what?"
Kris looked up, rubbing the back of the neck and their heels dug into the grass as they shifted around. "Just thinking and, uh, I dunno how to talk to people without being, uh, weird."
He couldn't comment on whether they were weird or not. Being weird wasn't a bad thing per se. It was like Susie simply being... Outspoken! Yeah, that was the word he was thinking of. Obnoxious was a bit too mean. It was not really a bad thing, but it was a trait that she had nonetheless.
"Have you tried just talking to Sloth? You don't need to worry about being weird; if anyone cared about that, it wouldn't be them."
They looked at Ralsei so quickly that he was surprised that they didn't get dizzy from it. Kris cleared their throat and averted their eyes to the ground next.
"How did you know...?"
He blinked blankly. "Who else would it be?"
"Oh."
The two began to move on. They rushed by the enemy, who was going back and forth. Ralsei was happy to be able to evade it. Talking about friendship while trying to die was a little bit of a mood killer. Ehe, mood killer. Dying? Mood killer? Funny.
Into another dead end, another white sign could be seen next to another thick cluster of trees. On it was the symbol of clubs. Ralsei hesitated to call it out to you, looking at Kris and pondering what to say next. Advice, advice, advice... How does one coach an awkward teenager talk to another awkward teenager?
"It's hard to just talk to people." Kris spoke, their voice a hint quieter than before.
"I know. At least I think I do... But hey! You don't need to jump in right away. Just take it one conversation at a time."
Okay, okay, okay, that sounded princely, right? That's what a reliable friend would say, right? Maybe he needed advice on how to give people advice.
"Yeah."
Kris nodded along, and they didn't seem too tense like before either. Wooo! Mission successful! Ralsei got a nod from Kris? Amazing. But the silence afterwards was a little less than savory.
"Why don't we practice? Just start a little conversation with me!" Ralsei smiled brightly and clapped his hands together. Surely you wouldn't mind if they took a bit longer. It was for a good cause!
They nodded again. Kris looked around, and their eyes landed on the sign behind him. They tilted their head to the side.
"I like... Clubs? Clubbing?"
Ahhhh. Hmmmm. Interesting. Enthralling. Wonderful. Lovely. Epic. Swag. Snazzy. Amazing. Appealing. Cool. Maybe Ralsei had to work on their conversational skills. But you'd probably get a kick out of that one so it was probably fine. It would make him cringe and shake if he saw it, but it'd be fineeee! After all, friendship was just a weird jumble of awkward interactions, bad jokes, and finger guns.
Author's Note:
Not posting for 2 weeks had me nervous which is why this is getting posted at 11PM lolll if there's grammar mistakes then you know why-
That thanksgiving special prolly will become just some random oneshot for december skdjfhksd Anywho! Thank you for reading this mess!!