Chapter Text
Tenna was standing at the border between light and dark when Ralsei found him. He found the host at the very edge of town, where he stood, hands behind his back, his screen aimed out into the shadows that glommed across the cobblestones where the lantern light couldn’t reach.
“T-Tenna!”
He turned when Ralsei ran towards him. Ralsei watched his screen blink to a practiced smile. He felt his own mouth tug into a similarly practiced grin for a moment, but quickly allowed himself to relax. He didn’t have to smile. They had all just been through something horribly intense.
“Ralsei, my boy. H-how are you…” Tenna fiddled with his tie. He looked back off into the darkness, his mind clearly elsewhere.
Kris…
“I’m fine!” Ralsei said, “everything uh…went rather… odd . For a moment there. I remember that strange flower showing up…and then…everything sort of…got all fuzzy…? B-but! Tenna! I-I think we did it! I sense that the balance between light and dark has been restored, s-so that means that we- Kris- the fountain, it’s…”
Ralsei took a deep breath. He’d have time to figure it all out. The flower. The sudden switch to static. From his perspective, he had been caught by the flower’s vines up in the air, only to wake up in his room in the castle a moment later. His head hurt slightly, but he was otherwise none the worse for wear. He could only hope the same went for his friends.
“I’m sure Kris is alright, Tenna,” he said softly. He put a paw on the TV’s pantleg. “If I know them and Susie, I’m sure they’re on their way home right now! O-or perhaps they’re on their way here to pay us all a visit?”
“They’re at the closet door,” Tenna said quietly. He tilted his screen down as Ralsei’s ears perked up. “Susie pushed me through. Berdly is here already, ain’t he? He ran past me after I got here. I didn’t get a chance to chat, he was…” His voice trailed and dipped into low static. “...tired…poor kid…”
Berdly was here? In Castle Town?
“Oh! I’ll have to prepare a room for him, if he’s staying with us,” he tried to laugh. It didn’t sound quite right in his throat. Scratchy and strained.
“I reckon he’s off to find Queen .”
Her name shone in halogen cobalt.
“O-oh! Yes. That would make sense.”
Ralsei was the prince of Castle Town, but truth be told, he’d found himself deferring to Queen’s judgement on a lot of the town’s official matters since her arrival. For all her goof and pomp, Queen was, as her name suggested, a natural-born leader. She’d help everyone get settled after their adventure through the Blooming Wastes. She had certainly been a big help with organizing the town’s construction as more and more Darkners migrated over. She was a wacky roommate, but a SMART wacky roommate.
Ralsei tugged at his scarf. His chest felt heavy. “And…Asgore…I…I hope that he’s-”
“He’s just fine, Ral.”
Tenna’s voice perked slightly. His antennas twitched as he looked down at the smaller Darkner, a comforting smile once again affixed to his screen. “We saw him get taken to the hospital before Susie and everybody rolled out from the festival . Old Gori is gonna be just right as rain .”
This was a real smile. Ralsei tightened his grip on Tenna’s pantleg, and nodded slowly.
“Good,” he whispered, “that’s…that’s wonderful. I’m so relieved to hear that.”
“You and me both, kid. You and me both.”
They both snapped their attention onto the cobbled road as someone stepped through the shadows. The skirt of her ice-blue and snow-white cloak dragged across the ground as she stumbled through with a sleeping knight bundled in her arms. She looked around with a wonderstruck expression. The lanterns glimmered in her coal-colored eyes.
“NOELLE!”
Noelle ‘eep’d’ as they both cried her name. Tenna lowered his volume, while Ralsei chuckled and apologized gently. Tenna kneeled down as Noelle crossed the threshold to greet her warmly. “Hey, snowflake . Glad ya made it through alright.”
“I uh…I fell! I think?” Noelle looked behind her into the shadows from where she’d just emerged. Tenna laughed softly. A hushed laugh track accompanied him. Noelle glanced around, as if searching for the source of the noise in the otherwise serene night.
“Yup! You get used to it. M…may I…?”
He pointed at Kris, and opened his hand. Noelle gasped and nodded as she passed them over. Tenna lifted Kris towards his screen as he stood back up. Ralsei watched him slowly bring his fingers close around their sleeping form, and felt his heart shiver.
Asgore was alright. Whatever had happened after that horrible flower attacked, everything worked out in the end. And…and…and this meant…that they had done it, hadn’t they? The flower man was free from his asylum. That meant…
…Ralsei…wasn’t ready to fully sit with what that could mean. He was very, very tired. His eyes were heavy. His legs were sore. His throat was dry from…screaming, mostly. He very much wanted to put all that aside for a moment. Just a moment.
There were other things to worry about, anyhow.
“Where’s Susie?” He asked Noelle.
“She said she needed to go on a ‘supply run’,” Noelle tapped her chin and hummed, “s-she, uh, said that uh, Queen? That she’d help us…with Loyal, and uh. Everything.”
As if on cue, they all turned as the rumble of footsteps echoed behind them. Down the path that led into Castle Town came a flock of Swatchlings. Swatch himself walked alongside Queen, who was for once without a glass of battery acid as she strode down the cobbled road. Her heels clicked sharply with every step.
When she came to a sharp halt, the Swatchlings and their head butler stood at attention.
“Okay So Like,” Queen waved a hand around as she addressed the crowd, “It Is Very Late and You All Look Really Messed Up. No Offense I Mean This In A Very Sincere Worried Way. So Like Lets All Take A Trip To The Castle Infirmary So You All Can Get Looked Over And Patched Up And All That Junk. Berdly Is There Already Along With His Little Purple Blue Thing That IDK What It Is But They Are Cute So Like Yay.”
She put a hand on her hip. She started to point at each of them in turn, before she landed on Noelle and paused. “Okay We Are Missing A Child Where Is Susie?”
Her visor blinked when Noelle answered shyly, “she’s uh. Running to get some supplies.”
“Supplies,” Queen echoed, “Okay Well In That Case Swatch You And Some Of Your Crew Will Wait Here For Her.”
She pointed again. Swatch raised his beak proudly. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Okay And Everyone Else Come Along And We’ll Go Get Everybody All Sorted. Tenna? Hey.”
His screen was white noise. He had Kris raised a mere few inches away from his display. His antennas drooped low towards the human, who hadn’t moved or stirred once since Noelle carried them through the threshold. Ralsei’s heart fluttered anxiously as Queen stepped towards Tenna and clapped her hands together once. “Tennie Hello Yes Hi Earth To Old Man.”
He jerked his head to stare at her with a jolt. Static crackled between his antennas as they sprung away from Kris.
“You Know You Are Gonna Have To Put Kris Down So They Can Get All Patched Up Correct?” Queen spoke in her usual fast, firm, matter-of-fact way. As she stepped closer, though, Ralsei could hear the faintest hint of warmth in her otherwise monotone, processed voice. “You Can Sit By Their Bed Until They Wake Up Though. They Will Probably Appreciate: Cartoons. Or Whatever It Is Children Who Still Watch TV Enjoy.”
Tenna looked back at Kris. Slowly, he nodded. “That…I understand.”
“Okay Cool I Guess We All Set.”
Queen clapped her hands once again. She spun on her heels, pausing, as she looked at Noelle. “Noelle Honey Hi Hey BTW So So So So So So So Happy To See You.”
Noelle shifted awkwardly under her stare. “Uh. Good to see you too…Your uh….Your Highness." She dipped into a shallow bow.
“Oh Please Sweetie No Just Queen Is Fine,” Queen laughed and waved a hand, “We Can Chat Lots Once You Children Are A Bit Less Ruffled. That Said. Running Comfort Protocol Dot Exe. Noelle Would You: Like To Hold My Hand On The Walk Over To The Castle? Totally Fine Chill If No.”
“Uh,” Noelle glanced to the side. She thought for a moment, before she shrugged. “S-sure…that uh…that would be…nice, I think.”
“Okay But For Serious Do You? Again Chill If No.”
Noelle looked down at her hands. Ralsei saw that her fingers were coated in pot soil and ashes. Noelle’s eyes flickered to Queen, whose cerulean chassis was clean and spotless. She glanced down at her ruined, muddied robe. Noelle shrunk back and smiled sadly. “I uh…I would. I’m sorry that I’m such a mess…I don’t think I’m really fit to go to a castle right now…”
To this, Queen stepped closer. She put a hand on Noelle’s shoulder, crouched down, and used her other hand to gently tilt the girl’s chin so she met her visor. In a soft tone, Queen said plainly, “Noelle Honey I Am Merely Glad That You Are Alright. Who Give A Crap About A Dress?”
Noelle’s mouth fell open. She stared at Queen for a few seconds, before a weak little laugh escaped her. “Okay…”
Queen took her by the hand, and started up the cobbled road.
Ralsei followed along into the warm glow of Castle Town’s streets.
—
Tenna sat against the wall next to Kris’ bed. He’d been allowed to stay in the room as a couple of Darkners looked over Kris’ wounds and bandaged their wrists. One of them had assured Tenna that the cuts were merely surface wounds before they left, leaving him alone as the human slept soundly beside where he sat, knees to his chest, screen angled towards the floor.
Time was different in the Dark World. A minute could go on for an hour. A week could pass, and once you passed over to the light, it’d only be a few hours since you fell into the shadows. Tenna understood it to be a sort of dream logic. The Dark World was, after all, one formed out of dreams and subconscious musings.
So as the clock on the wall ticked by, he found himself losing track of time while he waited for Kris to wake up. He kept looking at their hands. He had watched with baited breath as their wounds were carefully cleaned out and dabbed with medicine. They were all healed up by now. The bandages were simply there to keep the skin from being irritated while the magic worked its course to prevent any further damage or infection.
The seconds ticked by.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Tenna put a hand to his chest and felt his own ticker chime along. His insides were a hodgepodge of whatever Kris imagined might be inside of him when they were small. He’d gotten a proper look at what he had under the hood a few times, when Queen was tuning him up and helped him disable the parental safety lock. All sorts of wacky nonsense in there. A heart-shaped clock, a clock-shaped heart, fans, bells, doozits, whatzits, a rubber duck…!
He laughed and looked over at Kris. They were such a silly kid.
Tick, tick, tick.
Tonight….yes…tonight. The Angel shall come.
A liquid dread poured through his chest. He instinctively pressed his hand against his VHS slot. Kris took a deep breath in, their chest rising as they started to stir. Tenna dropped his hand away and hurried to turn around so he was on his knees and facing the bed directly.
“Kris! Hey, starlight . Rise and…well. Maybe take your time rising. Take as much time as you need, really!”
Kris barely shifted under the thin blanket. They rolled their head to the side towards Tenna, who quickly lowered his screen brightness as he leaned closer.
“You were out cold for a good minute there, kid. We’re back in Castle Town, in case ya couldn’t tell. You and your friends were a bit roughed up , so ol’ Queen rushed y’all to the infirmary. How’re your hands, by the way? Everything feelin’ alright there?” Tenna kept his volume low as he ducked his screen towards Kris. He couldn’t be sure if the soul…if the Angel…if that thing was listening, or if it’d wandered off, or however it worked.
The walls of the castle were black and blue. Sturdy. Secure. Safe.
Nothing bad could happen here. Castle Town was safe .
It was best to keep everything the Knight had said to himself. Kris…they had enough to worry about. They didn’t need to worry about anything else, least of all Ol’ Tenna .
Kris lifted their hands and stretched out their fingers. They turned their hands over in the light a few times, before they dropped their arms back down to their side. They nodded slowly.
Tenna sighed with relief. “Oh, good! T-that’s just great to hear!”
He noticed their mouth twitching. The bulbs on his antennas lit up as his mind flickered through scenes of flowers and fire and vines and blood, interspliced between which were walls of roaring red static.
“Kris! Your dad! He-”
Suddenly, Susie burst through the door.
“KRIS!”
Behind her in the hallway stood a very flustered Tasque Manager. Susie darted to the side of Kris’ bed opposite of Tenna. Her face was bright, her voice brighter still despite the heavy pant that rattled her words. “Kris…Asgore…he’s fine! He got a bit roughed up, but before we left, some people came and got him to the hospital! He’s gonna be alright, dude! We did it!”
She leaned against the bed as Kris went limp. At first, Tenna feared it was something with the soul. Then Kris started to laugh, weak but real , their body trembling as Susie joined them. She placed a purple claw on the human’s head.
“You know what that means, right? We did it. We broke the prophecy,” Susie’s grin stretched wider, yet wider still.
Kris nodded into her palm. Tenna’s chest warmed at the sight of the two friends smiling. They had done it, hadn’t they? The Legend of the Deltarune called for the flower man to be trapped in asylum. If Asgore was free from Flower King and the Blooming Wastes, well, that was that, wasn’t it?
He wouldn’t think about what the Knight said. He wouldn’t think about this ‘heretical prophecy’ that this ‘Angel’ that was possessing Kris wanted to enact.
He would just think about how happy Kris looked as Susie helped them out of bed and steadied them by the shoulders once they were on their feet.
“So…what do we do now?” Susie tapped her chin and pondered intently.
“May I suggest a moment of order to get yourself in order, Miss. Susie?” From the door came Tasque Manger’s shard, firm tutting.
Susie looked at her and shrugged. “Eh, I’m fine! ‘Tis but a scratch.”
“It appears to be a plethora of scratches from where I stand, Miss. Please. I insist that you at the very least allow me to cast a few healing spells.” She was already halfway across the room. This wasn’t so much a choice, but rather a polite decree.
Susie rolled her eyes. She held out her hand, reluctant in every meaning of the word, as she looked away and grumbled, “fine. If ya really want to . I’m fine, though.”
Tenna had to commend Tasque Manager for her firm yet careful approach. As the catlike woman’s hands floated around Susie, one of them pointed to a door off to the side as she addressed Kris, “Kris, dear. If it would so please you, we have taken the liberty of setting out some fresh pajamas in there. We would be so happy to tend to your armor, as well.”
She then addressed Tenna. “Mr. Tenna?”
“That’s me!”
“Could you perchance go and check on Prince Ralsei for me? He is resting in the next room over to the right,” she nodded at the door.
Tenna’s brows creased with worry. “Why? Is something wrong ?”
Tasque Manager quickly waved a hand. She shook her head, “oh, no! Not at all. He merely…well…” a soft smile spread across her diamond-shaped snout, “fell asleep, you see. As soon as he was healed and in bed, the poor dear was out like a light! I was hoping you’d be able to pop in and make sure that he’s sleeping soundly.”
“Oh! Heh. I’d be happy to.”
Tenna rose to his feet. As he did, Susie mumbled something beneath her breath that gave the two Darkners pause.
“...don’t even got a bed…”
“Pardon?” Tasque Manager’s ears perked.
“What was that, sweetheart?”
“He doesn’t even gotta bed in his own bedroom ,” Susie had her arms crossed as she sighed bitterly, “I really gotta get him kitted out. He’s weird about the whole thing, though. Kris, you’ll help me, right?”
They nodded from the door. They looked at Susie, and then at Tenna as he went to go check on Ralsei. “Kris! I’ll meet ya down in the lobby once you’re all set to go. Sound like a plan ?”
They nodded again and stepped into the side closet. Tenna shot them a smile along with a big thumbs-up before he stepped out. He heard Tasque Manager gently scold Susie for putting off treatment, to which Susie just grumbled until she fell silent. His smile dipped into something softer once he was out of the room. The kids were fine. Kris…well, that smile of theirs when Susie told them that Asgore was alright made this whole romp through the wild, flowery west worth it!
He absently felt at where he’d tucked the flower-shaped badge in his suit pocket. Quickly, he shook his head and hurried to check in on Ralsei. He found the fluffy boy fast asleep in a room much like Kris’.
“Ral?”
His low whisper was answered by a mumbled, sleepy whine. Tenna covered his mouth as he chuckled and crouched by the prince’s bed. “Sssh…back to bed, hon. It was a…a long day.”
Ralsei rolled over. His eyes fluttered open just barely enough for Tenna to see the hazy pink of his pupils. In a tiny voice, Ralsei said, “...it’s over…the legend…we…we did it…”
He smiled. Like it was just so wonderful. Like he just couldn’t fully believe it.
Despite how hard he tried, the Knight’s words rippled through Tenna’s head. How the path had been altered, but the conclusion remained as it’d been written. He smashed the thought. He mentally took a mallet to it and pounded it into the dirt. He smiled and gently brushed a finger between Ralsei’s shiny pink horns.
“We sure did, kiddo. We sure did. How ya feelin’?”
“Mm…tired.”
“Yeah? Susie told me that your bedroom’s been looking a bit bare ,” his chest squeezed when Ralsei shrunk down into the blanket. “How would you like to swing by the studio sometime to see about getting that sorted? We’ve oodles of props you could pick from to pretty the place up a bit!”
“Oh! Okay…” Ralsei stretched. He wiggled under the covers for a moment, before he slipped out of the bed and landed on his feet. “I-I should be going, though! I need to get Berdly and Noelle’s rooms ready. I need to-”
Tenna stopped him from running off by forming a wall with his hand. Ralsei stumbled into it and batted his eyes in confusion.
“Know what I think, Ral? I think a certain someone needs a darn break to have some fun with his friends.”
Ralsei brought his hands close. He shrunk into his scarf. Tenna hammered down the urge to coo. What, was it his fault all of these kids were just so damn cutesie ? Give a man a break! Cuteness aggression was no laughing matter. It wasn’t easy having a will of steel to push down his every lovely dovey impulse. Yet, still, a small chuckle escaped him as Ralsei’s face turned pink-red before he finally gave in.
“Okay…that…that does sound rather nice, honestly.”
Tenna soon had Ralsei at his side out in the hall. He figured Kris would be on their way to the lobby if they weren’t down there already. He heard Susie’s voice booming from somewhere within the castle infirmary. Clearly she was all patched up and ready to get a-rolling.
“Now, whereabouts could Berdly be?” Tenna tapped the bottom of his display. Ralsei hummed and glanced around. “Knowing Queen, she’s probably with Noelle somewhere. Berdly got here ahead of us, so he could be just about any-”
“REJOICE! THE KNIGHT IN GLOW IN THE DARK ARMOR EMERGES REFORGED AND MENDED !”
“-where oh hi Berdly there you are hey look at that we found him,” Tenna managed not to jump out of his casing for once when suddenly, Berdly was at his side, having emerged from the room opposite of Kris’. He beamed and waved at the young bluebird.
“Greetings, gamemaster. And hello to you, fluffy prince,” as Berdly addressed them both with a salute, Loyal ran out from behind his legs, “aha! As you can see, Loyal, like any great ally, has emerged from their close shave with oblivion not merely recovered, but stronger .”
The little plush Darkner had a large stitch on its side that ran down the length of their rotund body. Loyal barked happily, their nubby tail-thing wagging as they bounced around Berdly’s feet. The boy puffed his chest out with his hands firmly on his hips.
Tenna was glad that Loyal was alright. He was even moreso relieved to see that Berdly was back to his wonderful, bold self. The kid had been…out of it…on the trip back from the festival. Everyone was, but the whole ordeal in the Dark World near the very end had left Berdly particularly rattled. Sometimes Tenna wished he was a therapist and not a TV host…though, he could still make the kids smile, couldn’t he? That had to count for something.
“Shall we make our way to the lobby?” Ralsei asked after a pause.
“I don’t see why not!”
“Indeed. Let us make haste. Onward, my Darkner fellows!”
They made their way to the lobby to wait for Kris and everyone else.
—
Kris locked the door behind them. The closet was, much like the rest of Ralsei’s castle, blue-black and cozy. You already had an idea of what was about to happen as they entered the room, so it didn’t surprise you when they raised their arm and slammed their hand back down into their chest.
Yup. I know the drill.
With you gripped between their fingers, Kris stumbled forward. They opened a wardrobe and threw you inside. The door came shut, leaving you in the darkness, with your red glow the lone source of light while you waited for Kris to get dressed.
This was fine, honestly.
You needed a moment to sit and just…think.
You were at the fountain. Then you closed it, all on your own, and found yourself back with Kris and the gang. Then Tenna appeared from behind a tree (did a certain man push him out?), Asgore was off to the hospital, and now you were all at Castle Town. You didn’t know they had an infirmary in the castle. You supposed it wasn’t too surprising, you just wondered how come you’d never seen it before now.
Well. You did suppose that the party never returned to town in such a state before tonight.
It still struck you as a bit strange, though.
Everything about today had been strange. Up until that last encounter with Flowey, though, it wasn’t too unusual for the twists and surprises the story had thrown at you so far. But that last fight…you simply didn’t know what to make of it! How come Tenna was the one with that CrimsonCleave move? Where did it come from? Surely, if he could do something like that this whole time, he shouldn’t have gone down so easily to the Knight. Granted, the Knight had the element of surprise…still…
Then it hit you: the WornTape.
And then, at the festival, the CrimsonShard you found in Tenna’s slot. You needed to find a way to have Kris ask about that. He was aware of everything around him when he was in the Light World. Surely he…felt it…how would it feel, having a chunk of glass inside of your chest…?
You needed to ask. You needed to make sure he was okay after what happened. You had a whole other tape to play, too. And while you were still reeling from the first one.
The video showed December Holiday going with Kris to the shelter.
The very December whose disappearance broke two families apart.
A December with twisty antlers, and a fondness for all things dark and edgy. A December who had a baseball bat. The same December who was so brave, yet her bed faced away from her closet door.
You thought about what Flowey had told Kris. That they were meddling in the affairs of devils and gods. Your thoughts went between the dark voice over the phone and the way the Knight tilted its head when Kris coughed…what sort of scheme had Kris gotten themself caught up in?
And how did Tenna’s CrimsonCleave play into it all?
The tapes. The tapes were the key. Whatever you had found…whatever route you’d found yourself on. It started when you followed Kris and found them with Tenna, but it really got going after you played that first tape on Tenna.
If you played this second tape, would Tenna get…stronger?
If Tella and Flowey were anything to go off of, you’d need that sort of strength to go against whatever was to come. Tenna cared so much about Kris. He merely wanted them to be happy. The best way you could make them happy was to get this story over with as soon as possible, so they could be free of you and get back to their life. And if you could just…rend your way through…then…surely…
You still wanted to do your best to be kind, though. Ralsei’s words at the beginning of your adventure had stuck with you this whole while. Being kind was the best way to go. Hell! If Susie hadn’t been kind enough to fix Tenna, you wouldn’t have discovered any of this in the first place!
It was a lot to think about.
You floated back and forth in the limited space inside the wardrobe.
Outside, you heard Kris shuffle around as they got changed. You could also hear Tenna, off somewhere, talking to the other kids. His voice was muffled by the stone walls and the wood that surrounded you, but bits and slivers got through.
“...have a… rockin’ ...once Kris is here, ‘course…!”
You heard Kris pause. When they started shuffling again, it was notably faster. You couldn’t help but laugh. Right, Susie had her mind set on Lightners Live, didn’t she? It seemed Kris was excited to get another chance to shred on stage, too!
The door swung open. A blue hand grabbed you from the wardrobe.
Kris was wearing a periwinkle blue nightgown. You watched them scowl as they yanked you out and went to slam you back into their chest. You always hated having to go back. You hated that they had to deal with this. With you. You didn’t have a choice in the matter. You had a vessel. You made a vessel! But someone decided that no, you don’t get to choose who you are, here, possess this random child, have fun!
Would Kris ever believe you, if you could tell them about it?
You wouldn’t fault them if they didn’t.
You were back in control after a moment of buckled knees and ragged breaths. You slowly brought Kris to their feet, and glanced to where they’d dumped their dirty armor in a little hamper.
A silvery star twinkled beside it. You were informed that the power of unaired laundry shone within you when you went to save.
You proceeded out into the room, and carried on into the hallway. The blue torchlight lit the way through the blue-trimmed passageways of the castle, which you followed along in the rough direction of Tenna’s voice.
You reached the castle's lobby. Ralsei’s cauldron bubbled in the center of the room. Tenna stood at the door with Ralsei, Susie, Berdly, and Loyal all gathered in front of him.
They all turned to Kris when you approached.
“Kris! Hey dude,” Susie walked up and glanced down at their gown, “nice fit! But ya might wanna hold off on getting too snug.”
“We're going to throw a concert,” Ralsei said chipperly.
Berdly sniffed and rubbed at his beak. “As I understand, this Lightners Live is, in essence, a competitive multi-player rhythm game?”
He craned his neck to squint at Tenna, who nodded. “ Right-o ! I've already called the folks at the studio to get the stage set so all of you can play. It's gonna be a gen-u-ine, bon-a-fide, once in a lifetime certified rockfest !”
An unseen crowd cheered and hollered. You saw Tenna’s head turn suddenly, and followed the direction where he was looking. You turned Kris just in time to see Queen and Noelle round the corner.
Noelle was once again in her usual plain, snow white hooded robe. She was holding Queen’s hand as the pair walked over, with Queen bringing her other hand to her mouth as she chortled loudly.
“Ohohoho See Noelle This Is Why You Are My Favorite You Are Smart But Not In A Stupid Way Like Actually Very Smart.” Queen beamed as bright as a star.
Noelle laughed awkwardly, “I-I’m really not that smart.”
“Oh But Sweetie You Are. I Know This I Have Your Browser History And Have Seen How Hard You Study,” she patted Noelle’s head between her antlers, “Yet You Are Humble And Also Kind. TBH A Bit Too Kind Perhaps We Can Work On That And Hone Your Mean Skills.”
“Mean skills?” Noelle’s eyes widened. “I-I don't wanna be mean !”
“Not MEAN Mean,” Queen clarified, “Mean As In Assertive. Blunt! Aware Of What You Deserve And What Sort Of Treatment Simply Will Not Fly. Is This Making Sense?”
A row of question marks appeared on her visor. Her smile widened when Noelle nodded, “uh…yes. I think so.”
“Mean For Example Like: Susie.”
“Oh! I. That makes much more sense, actually!”
She snickered while Queen ruffled her hair. “After All: How Can You Reign As A Hauntly Frost Empress From Your Icy Cathedral That Sits Upon A Mountain Of Titan Bones One Day If Your Vast Legions Of Frozen Demons Formed From The Sea Ice And Fueled By Sheer Utter Darkness Think They Can Sass And Walk All Over You?”
“My huh of the what-”
“Sorry I Am Getting Ahead,” Queen snapped her head around to acknowledge the group, “Hi BTW How is Everybody? We All Good?”
“Doin’ just dandy !” Tenna rocked back on his heels, eager to get the show rolling.
“Noelle! Do you wanna play in our rock concert at Tenna’s studio?” Susie ran up and grabbed Noelle by the shoulders. Queen laughed lightly, and stepped away.
“A concert?” Noelle said, “l-like up on a stage? In front of…people?”
“ And televised,” Berdly mused.
Noelle’s ears drooped. Her face paled. “Um. I'm not. I'm not sure…what if I mess up?”
Queen sprung back to Noelle’s side. She leaned down with her hands clasped together eagerly. “Noelle Sweetie Do Not Fret I Will Assist. I Have All Of Your Assorted Cool Rocker And Edgy Emo Scary Girl Dark Femininity Outfit And Aesthetic Boards On Hand.”
She snapped, and a green holographic green appeared in the air beside her. Noelle looked at it alongside Susie. From where you stood, you could make out a bunch of poorly taken photos of girls in black skirts, fishnet leggings, messy makeup and spiky jewelry.
Noelle’s eyes just about bulged out of her head. She threw herself at the screen and waved her arms to make it go away. “UM OKAY N-NO ONE ELSE NEEDS TO SEE THAT UH UM UH!”
“Yooooo, that one looks rad ,” Susie pointed one picture out just before Queen snapped, and the screen blinked away.
“Hashtag Sorry My Bad,” Queen apologized.
Noelle, trembling like she'd almost been shot, whirled around to look at Tenna. “Yeah uh yeah the show sounds fun mhm yup, let's all focus on that now hahaha okay? Okay…” She sighed. She looked like a small gust would knock her over.
“Ohhh, WONDERFUL ! Glad to have ya, Elly!” Tenna threw his hands up as he cheered. One hand came back down to cover his mouth. A hot red blush boomed from his cheeks. “Gosh, that's like the third time - I'm sorry.”
Noelle paused.
Her face dropped into something…distant. Though, as she closed her eyes, you watched a vague smile creep onto her cheeks after she gave it some thought.
She laughed quietly. “No. It's okay.”
“Ya sure?” Tenna had shrunk a few inches. His voice squeaked as he tilted his head.
“Yeah. It's…it’s alright. So, where is this studio? Is it in the castle?”
Beaming bright, Tenna sprung back to his full height. He gestured to the door dramatically. With a whirr, his little theme song started to play, seemingly from nowhere yet everywhere at the same time. Noelle glanced around, but quickly settled in, already growing used to the host’s brand of nonsense.
“ Right this way , ladies and gents and germ .” The word germ was purple and periwinkle. Tenna stepped aside from the door, and bowed as he waved his arm to direct the kids outside.
Noelle, with Queen not too far behind, hurried out first.
Susie followed. Berdly and Loyal went after her.
“W-wait for me!” Ralsei hurried outside, his scarf a whirl of pink behind him as he went.
You and Kris were now alone with Tenna. Tenna remained in place with his head bowed and arm outstretched for a few beats once everyone else was gone. His theme continued to play, until he slowly raised his screen, and shot a quizzical look at Kris. He snapped and the music cut out.
“...Kris…?”
You walked up to him. Tenna watched Kris move closer. A tense smile formed on his display. Although he remained standing where he was, you could sense that he was nervous. He…was almost scared . Not of Kris. You knew very well why he was so anxious, and you hated that you couldn’t talk to him, and explain, and make him understand that you wanted Kris to be happy, too. At the end of the day, your goals were aligned.
If only you could just…explain everything.
“Something the matter, sunshine ? A-are you not feeling up for Lightners Live?” Tenna crouched down and gingered scratched at the side of his screen. “I…I guess that everyone else was so excited , I didn’t think that you might not…be in the mood. If you’re tired, your room’s right here in the castle! Y-you can just go and lay down and get some shut-eye . It’s alright! Won’t hurt my feelings none.”
He cleared his throat. Beads of sweat trickled down the edges of his screen. He paused his rambling when you had Kris lift their arms up as you flexed their fingers. A flicker of pink crossed Tenna’s display, before he laughed, and scooped the human off the floor.
“Oh…” Tenna’s volume dipped low as he settled Kris in his palm. “Yeah…’course.”
You saw his fingers twitch anxiously. There was an air of disbelief to his voice. Like he still couldn’t fully believe that Kris was here , in the Dark World, where they could interact and talk and see each other and feel each other.
You wondered for a moment…how it must’ve been…to go an entire lifetime living in the same house as a family you loved more than anything, and to be in a whole other world the entire time, unable to exchange a single word with them the whole while. No wonder Tenna was so eager when Kris made that fountain. No wonder he was so clingy. No wonder he was so protective of Kris…no wonder he wasn’t very…fond…of you .
Kris couldn’t smile when you were in control. Not…really.
Kris couldn’t laugh. Kris couldn’t cry. Kris couldn’t live , as long as you were bound together like this. All they could manage were bits of motion and moments of freedom gained by having to rip you out from their chest. And, in those moments, they were tired…weak…
…no wonder Tenna hated you.
Kris sat cross legged in Tenna’s palm without your input. They looked into the glow of his screen, the two staring at one another for several long, quiet moments before Tenna’s static popped, and he started out the door.
They don’t like to talk too much when I’m here, you realized. A guilty twitch gave you pause. Did Kris feel it? They curled their hands up in their lap, but you could never be quite sure.
You could help. You could fix this. If you just kept following the story and finding all the clues, surely, you’d figure out how to unbind yourself from Kris so they could be free. The tapes. The shards. After the concert, you’d find Tenna, and you’d play that second tape. Then Kris would be one step closer to being rid of you for good.
You only hoped they’d both be happy once it was all over.