bottlecaplogs | Noelle's December Catch-All

[They stand there in silence as she recounts the memory, trailing off into an expectant pause. They know what happened next. They were there, obviously. The learned an important lesson that day about how they could eat an entire pie in one sitting if they put their mind to it. They only regretted it later when they were too sick to have any of the second pie, and Noelle got to have their slice...

... but they can feel it pulling at the strings, and they clamp their mouth tightly shut before it can answer. The last thing they need right now is to let it ask about Dess.

They clear the thought from their mind. Focus on something, anything else. Any part but that one.]

Sorry for being mean
	Worth it	♥︎	We could make a pie
Are we still friends?

Could make a pie. I know the recipe.

[... it's still a little too stilted, but that can't be helped. They shuffle their feet, mumbling a more genuine addition at the floor before she can consider telling off the Soul.] Promise not to stick my face in it.

[Almost like they were going to say something, but then they shut their mouth. Was that them, not wanting to talk? Was that it, silencing them? Did Kris actually want to see her during those years they were apart? Would they have ever spoken again without it?

Did Kris enjoy what happened to them in the Dark World? Is that why they didn't fight back? Did they miss her, too? Why don't they remember? Are they pretending? Or is this just their version of ignoring her for multiple years?

'Could make a pie.' And meanwhile, Berdly might be dead. What are they playing at? She's sick to her stomach and also so happy to be spending time with them again.

... For a moment, as she stares at Kris, Noelle imagines her choices lined up before her. Like Dragon Blazers or something.

* Attack
* Make them talk
* Proceed
* "But then how would you eat it?"

She lingers, expecting someone else to choose. It then strikes her that nobody does. The thought that she could attack them, force them give answers, force them to say Dess's name, take vengeance, rip it out of their chest, is right there in front of her.

She should be repulsed with herself. She isn't. Images spring to her mind unbidden. Her trying out her powerful new attacks on Kris. Or maybe she would nix the faux-magic and just spring forward and stomp and kick and stomp and kick-- a way that's more natural. Would they fight back? Would it?

Or maybe she could close the distance between them and kiss them; weren't they 'something else'? Why didn't it care anymore?

(... Shoka. Her friends at the Guild. Mightyena. She's not in the Dark World anymore. It has no control over her.)

So maybe she's a coward for not doing any of that. Maybe it means there's still hope for her. She doesn't know.]

... But then how would you eat it?

[It's not like they have hands to use utensils with.]

... okay, sure, yeah. Pie would be nice.

[She begins to gather the ingredients.]

[It feels like it takes way too long for her to answer.

... did they say something wrong? It wasn't fully their choice, but... they still meant it. They can have a fun, normal time together doing the things they used to enjoy. Isn't that what she wants from them? To go back to how things were? To be friends again?

... but the Kris she remembers wasn't nice. They would push every boundary until they made her cry. They never figured out how to make friends the "normal" way. And when they went too far, Azzy or Dess would always have to step in. "That" Kris wouldn't pass up a chance to one-up themselves, even to everyone else's detriment.

Trying to be nice, to smooth things over with empty kindness... isn't that what it would do?

The realization makes them feel sick.

It's impossible to know. Have they grown in this small way, or is that just the thing in their chest telling them what to do? They were never meant to host it for this long. What if every day they're losing more of themselves, becoming more like it? What if one day there's nothing left of Kris at all?

And yet, if they keep on acting like their stubborn, childish self... won't she get tired of them eventually? No matter how much she says she misses the old Kris, won't she realize she's outgrown them? Or, when she finally uncovers the truth—

... But then how would you eat it?

Her voice jolts them out of the spiral, fur sticking up at the base of their neck. Uh!

... huh.

Hmm.]

... Fair. [None of this matters since they legally have to shove their face in the pie anyway. It'd be funny if they weren't still thinking about all that other stuff.]

Cut it in half

♥︎

We'll both stick our faces in it

We'll both stick our faces in it. [haha wow did they have to say that so brazenly loud? Okay. Cool. They're being so normal about this.]

... That's gross, Kris. Fahahaha. [That feels a little more like them. For a moment, she feels a little more like herself, too.

Deep breath, in and out. Laugh it off. This is nothing a Holiday can't handle.]

Okay! You know what? Yeah! Let's make a pie! [There are zero hands with opposable thumbs between them, but they'll figure it out. After rifling around for a while, she finds a pie tin and several ingredients. Noelle begins to assemble the crust, doing her best to instruct Kris to act as her assistant.

(It's nice ordering them around for a change. (Don't think that.))]

Can you get some salt?

[In this moment, she has forgotten Kris is blind. Either by accident or intentionally, Kris may grab another ingredient instead of salt, such as: sugar, glitter left over from SINTO, a decorative bottle of sand, or a bottle with a skull and crossbones on it.]

[She laughs, and... they don't quite smile back, but some of the tension ebbs out of their body. This is... fine. They're doing fine. They didn't screw anything up.

... honestly, would it matter even if they did? She'd probably just blame it anyway.

They shove the thought aside—stop thinking about it, they've got a pie to make.

Noelle takes the lead, so Kris starts collecting ingredients. They're worried for a moment that the Soul will to start fucking around, but it seems to be following her instructions pretty seriously... the lack of control is a little more palatable when someone else is bossing them around. That, and it legitimately makes this easier, considering they can't see a damn thing.

They can still smell and taste just fine, though, so it's not like they're totally clueless. They scrunch their nose at the bad-smelling bottle, skipping it and going straight for the odourless one that jingles like salt when they pick it up. This baking shit is easy.

They offer Noelle a bottle of glitter.]

[Baking without hands-- this is like the Dark Spirits of baking, Noelle thinks. At least she has help from Kris!

So she thinks, until she realizes she's pouring a bottle of glitter into the dough.]

KRIS! That was glitter!!!

[She's annoyed for a few seconds, trying to scoop it out of the pie dough with her hooves... but soon, she laughs at how ridiculous it is.] What was that even doing in the kitchen? Did you bring that just for a prank?

Noelle's December Catch-All

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they call me 007. 0 timely replies 0 lines of dialogue 7 million words introspection

1/2, death note kira/L levels of overthinking in here

2/2

pivots to comedy ??

surely ONE of these threads can stop being depressing

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