Normal ending for Chapter 4 - managed to abort the Snowgrave route (Ch.4 Weird route partially occurred)
Full of Determination (and depression)
Very few friends, very few people they trust wholeheartedly
Loves their family and friends and would rip their own heart out if it meant keeping their loved ones safe
Hates the Entity controlling them and fights tooth and nail to protect themselves and others from its unpredictable whims
Angry. So unbelievably angry and alone and frustrated
Basically a moody teenager but Advanced and Meta
Has a favorite knife
APP | STATS | RULES
OOC things:
You can send memes into me any day of the week, ill just answer them on fridays. if they're symbol memes tho, it'd be great if you could include the meme name or a link to the post on my blog so i know which meme im answering
my sleep schedule is all over the place so uhhh ill reply to things when i feel like it
might drop threads without warning bc either idk how to continue them, or it just feels like a natural conclusion spot or (the most likely reason) i took too long to reply and then it feels awkward to reply
asks of all kinds are welcome, anon or off anon! i like having things to answer outside of meme days!
people kris has never interacted with are welcome to send in ask memes, reply to open posts, and send in regular asks and whatnot!
If Kris and Asriel ever wondered what the TV thought about Toriel's... wine nights... they had an answer in the form of a disapproving scowl.
("Tori...")
He was no stranger to drunken escapades himself; that would make him a hypocrite. But he either went out somewhere and bought the kids dinner first, or he waited until they were asleep to drown any sorrows. But this wasn't an event he remembered... maybe it happened before? No, Kris and Susie remembered fighting him. Must have been after he was brought here.
His antennae follow in the direction Kris glances... but nothing happens.
The night Dess disappeared. Do you remember it?
It's a question that would send a chill through his circuitry if he were capable of such a thing; it was one of the worst nights of his existence. But when he turns back to Kris, and sees them looking at him so miserably...
"...Couldn't forget it if I wanted to. But you probably don't remember, do you? You... didn't talk about it."
His arm moves from their shoulder to their arm in a sort of half-hug, trying to be of some comfort. And truly, for once, it was more for the human than himself.
"When the two of you didn't come home after school, we began to get worried. I remember your mom calling every house she could, asking if they'd seen you two. When nobody did, your dad took the police car and started to drive around, and your mom went with him. Asriel stayed at the house, in case you or Dess came back.
...
"It got dark. You both were still missing. We got together to broadcast to the other TVs in the area that the search was going on, and the rest of Hometown got out to look."
A heavy head tilts back to rest against the wall of Kris' bedroom, looking up at their ceiling.
"It was really late when Toriel brought you into the house, and your brother woke up from the couch to come run over to you. They tried to ask you what happened, but you... didn't answer. You were shaking, scared, and didn't say a word, but God, you were alive. I don't know what I would've done if..."
He holds the teen a little tighter, almost protectively.
"...The sun rose. And she was still missing. You were up in your room with Azriel. Rudy came over in the morning. Everything was so... quiet."
...
"Folks went out in shifts. I kept the studio going ragged until Spam gave me hell for not letting anyone sleep. I tried to reach the closed-circuit cameras in other places, but I could only watch the diner and the pizza place. Nothing. And after a week... They called off the search. The town did; Carol kept looking. Your dad tried to force you to say something; your mom stepped in."
He had to announce the worst news of his existence: December Holiday was missing, presumed...
...
The next thing he remembered, Mike and Shuttah were trying to shake him awake. It didn't feel like he was on for eight days straight! He had cameras to watch, updates to make, channels to swap to for everyone that rotated through the Dreemurr household to keep some mind-numbing semblance of normalcy. There wasn't any time to turn off, and he didn't want to. He was a box, sitting on a dresser--he couldn't go search like the rest of them. But he could keep watch, and keep everyone's minds from eating themselves with worry.
A tired, pained sigh escapes through his vents, and his screen returns to the present. Remembering the past brought stills to his face that he didn't think he'd be watching again. The worried faces of the Lightners, of his family... the Darkners that were as distraught over the kids they watched over as he was.
Kris listens quietly, so quiet that their breathing can barely be heard. Tenna remembers about as much as they expect him to - as much as anyone can. So many details of After but nothing Before, though they aren't sure what the expected. Maybe they wondered if Tenna has heard anything from the Darkner side of things, and some part of them is glad that isn't the case.
Another part feels like its sinking even lower, dragging their voice down with it as they stare vacantly down at the floor between their shoes now.
Tenna finishes speaking, and Kris remains silent for a bit longer.
Everything had been a blur - and then a swift spiral downward as tempers rose and the family fractured, and the Holiday family fractured as well.
Two families destroyed because of one awful, horrible night.
"... I remember it. Some of it anyway." Kris finally says, the silence around them so quiet that it feels like a loud ringing in their ears. "Dess and I... we slipped out to the bunker a lot. More than anyone knew. The dark world there was... so vast. Endless it seemed like. We felt like protagonists in some video game, and no one would have understood."
Kris licks their lips, swallowing the knot in their throat.
"I was scared at first, but Dess wanted to spend time with me. And I... I really liked her, you know?" They play with the sleeve of their sweater, curling in on themselves slightly. "I couldn't tell anyone about any of what happened though... they already thought dad was crazy, and Asriel would have hated me for not telling him about it sooner. Not that that mattered. He doesn't talk to me anymore unless mom makes him say hi."
They don't know if it feels good to talk about it even a little bit, or if it feels terrible. They just feel numb and cold from a chill that sat deep in their chest like ice. Kris grimaces, the Soul's warmth feeling like a scalding hot poker with the cold in their chest.
They rest a hand over their chest, feeling it pulse under their palm like the wretched burden that it was.
" ... Susie disappearing made me think about all that again. It scared me when she was suddenly gone... Do you think she'll come back?"
Journaling isn't something Kris enjoys doing, but they are... kind of in dire need of some sort of outlet for their "issues," and since they have no access to their therapist (not that they talked to him anyway), they're kind of grasping at straws.
Music, writing, doodling...
None of it really seems that helpful when their head feels simultaneously too full and too empty.
Kris is a bit distracted as they wander aimlessly through the aisles of some old timey looking arts and crafts store, picking at paper, pens, and felt sheets aimlessly. They could always pick up sewing again. That was nice... Kris is in the middle of trying to decide if they wanted to bother finding a new hobby, or leave when they round a corner and immediately run into someone.
They stumble back a step, instinctively reaching out to steady the person they ran into.
"Shit- sorry, that's my bad." They straighten up, rubbing the back of their neck. "You okay?" Damn it, they just ran into a literal kid, around Chara's age if they had to take a guess, though her clothes are a little weird, and gives them the impression of some sort of medieval fantasy setting.
✧ After being bumped into, Coco took a moment to correct her balance before looking up at the one she had collided with. "Oh, no! That's alright, I probably should have been looking at where I was going as well!" She couldn't let them take all of the blame when she wasn't blameless herself! That wouldn't have been the polite thing to do! After making sure they were okay, she got a better look at their face.
They reminded her a little bit of Chara and Frisk somehow, but maybe it was just her imagination?
"Oh?" She felt her hat slipping all of a sudden and caught it, but her Brushbuddy companion wiggled out from inside before perching on her shoulder. He looked up at the human with its big and bulging eyes before sniffing the air. It took Coco a moment to realize. "Sorry about him! Were you near the stationary section a moment ago? This shop sells the magic ink I need and it's usually kept there. He probably smells it on you faintly."
"Oh... uh, yeah. I was just messing around with the inks and pens over there." The brushbuddy looks like one of those super fluffy and soft puppets that used to be pretty common online, the kind that were controlled by wires hidden in sleeves and whatnot.
Though it's obviously not that. But it does scratch that I want to pet them itch they always felt whenever they saw those puppets.
"Magic ink?" Well that's new.
They shouldn't be that surprised though; Spirale is full of all sorts of weird shit, and everyday it gets weirder. So why not have magical ink? Though their second thought is is magic ink flammable because, hey, sometimes weird things burn really funky colors.
Their mother never let them live down the fact that they set a bottle of perfume on fire in the toilet once, but she has no influence here.
Kris tentatively offers the brushbuddy their hand, palm up so it can smell their fingers properly. There is some ink smudged on them from testing out inks and pens earlier, but they aren't sure if that's the kind of ink it likes or not. Maybe it just likes any kind of ink and not just magic ink. Though it isn't like they'd know if they handled something like that when they were just doodling mindlessly on the paper pads glued to the shelves.
They pause. "... What's the difference between regular ink and magic ink? Does it like... bring drawings to life or something?" They hope not. That dinosaur they drew earlier is pretty atrocious.
It seems like it'd been so long since he'd seen Kris cry... he hated seeing any of the kids cry, really. The shouting, the fights, the times they would sit right up next to him with Asriel and try to focus on his screen to ignore the tears. And then for a while, it all just... stopped one day. Crying, laughing, smiling... Before he was unplugged, he couldn't read his own kid's face.
There's something of a relief in the fact that they could cry again, but the sound of it cracked at his circuitboard...
...
While he doesn't understand why the teen carefully sets aside their own gloves, he does the same, revealing the aging, scuffed, metal exoskeleton underneath the friendly white padding.
"...I remember something like this. That people just... vanish here sometimes. Back to their own worlds. Back home."
The terror at seeing her disappear without a trace brought those agonizing nights watching, waiting for Dess to sneak back in through a window, constricting his thoughts. But the knowledge she wasn't in danger, and just... going back to Toriel's, where he last law her. That was a comfort.
But he had a feeling Kris had that same, horrible, haunting thought. The echoes of the night She disappeared.
"Yeah. At least she's home. Safe at home. Hopefully you two went back to sleep after you put me back together. She's, probably just snoring on the sofa."
Gently, careful not to scratch anything, Tenna placed a hand on their shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze. He wished Toriel was here... she always knew what to say when these things happened. He was just the distraction.
"...I'll be alright. Eventually. I... let most of it out already."
...
"If you want me to give you some time to yourself, I can leave you be. But I wanted to see if you were okay."
But Toriel wasn't here. Neither was Asriel, neither was Noelle. And now... not even Susie. It was just the two of them; all that's left of the Dreemurr household.
"... She went home. After mom's drunken tumble. And I..." Kris mumbles, lacing their fingers together and bowing their head. Their shoulders hunch, head feeling as if it were buzzing the same their phone had that night, reminding them of a promise that they suddenly didn't know if they could keep. "... Got a phone call." They tighten their hold on their hands, looking up at the corner of the room as if they could will someone, anyone, back into existence.
Susie isn't gone. Not like Dess.
Because this time it wasn't their fault.
Kris swallows thickly.
They ignore Tenna's offer to leave them be. Not because they want the company, but because they feel like their throat is going to burst, spill out everything in a tumble. Maybe it's a want to self-destruct. To make Tenna see them as the monster they were. Maybe they just want to hurt themselves.
"... Do you... the night Dess disappeared... do you remember it?" They shift, turning to look at Tenna through their hair, expression miserable, like they were a sopping wet cat rather than a bomb waiting to go off.
There's a butterscotch-cinnamon pie cooling on the kitchen table! Even the TV knows how to make Toriel's famous dessert, she's made it so many times.
She's not here, and Tenna misses her terribly. But it's a treat for both of them.
"... Was going to watch one of your mom's favourite shows. Did you wanna join me?"
Kris makes a noise of uncertainty, hovering uncomfortably in the hallway entryway while trying to decide how best to respond. They didn't particularly feel like watching TV, especially things that remind them of home, but Tenna needs this.
He's just as upset as Kris is, and they have to be a bit selfless once in a while, even while being completely and utterly miserable.
And....
Laughing at a stupid sitcom might be good for them.
".... Yeah. Sure. I didn't know they got shows from home here." They say, crossing the room and standing by the table. The pie smells good. They could smell it baking the whole time they had been wallowing in the dark in their room just scrolling social media until their brain felt like mush. "Pie smells good."
He gently sits on the edge of their bed. It's easy to do, he's not as tall as usual. Hard to be, with Susie not around.
"Hey..."
...
"... Wanna talk about it?"
Kris sits quietly at the foot of the bed, back to Tenna while picking at the gloves on their hands. Eventually, they peel them off, folding them carefully and setting them aside. They're not sure if they should be wearing them anymore - Susie had been worried that Kris wasn't the same when they came back, so that means it's possible that, if she comes back, it won't be her.
And they don't know how to feel.
Numb, mostly. Partially glad that she'll get to see their mother again, even if the last impression had been terrible. But then, there's that familiar hollow feeling, only made tolerable by the fact that the void isn't their own fault this time.
For now, they can't wear the gloves. Can't even look at them.
They're quiet a bit longer. Then, slowly, they take a soft breath and look down at the floor between their feet.
"... I don't know. I'm not sure how to feel." Kris says quietly. "Numb, I guess. It doesn't... it's... just..." Kris's shoulders slump. "At least she's home. And not..." Their throat tightens. "... At least she's home." They sniffle, wiping at their face even though they aren't sure if they're crying or if they're just imagining it. "Are you okay?"
When they hugged her back, Susie finally felt every inch of doubt leave her; closing her eyes as she pulled them as close as she could. One arm around their smaller frame became two, keeping her head hidden from the rest of the world; allowing herself to really feel that Kris was there, they were back.. and as long as they could help it, they wouldn't be going anywhere.
.. yeah. As long as they could help it. As long as any of them could. That was the shitty thing in the end, huh? No one here had a choice, no matter how much they might've wanted to stay. She probably.. could've been happy here, forever, if it wasn't for everyone back at home. Ralsei, Noelle, Undyne.. all those people they were supposed to protect. She couldn't just live the rest of her life without seeing her destiny through, with what the prophecy had in store, but..
Damn. Sometimes, when she was alone, she'd think about it. How happy it'd make her. But she wouldn't be a real hero if she just ignored all her responsibilities for her own happiness, would she?
".. nah, it's okay," she eventually managed to say, tilting her head some as she felt a smile coming onto her features. "I'm just glad you're home."
God, if that wasn't cheesy enough-- Kris's next set of words definitely caught her off guard, making the girl's head shoot straight up, as her hands were suddenly holding their shoulders.
"Can you-- h-huh?!"
For some reason, that made her whole face light up; deep crimson staining her purple scales, as she quickly messed Kris's hair up so they wouldn't see. ... hopefully, at least.
"Wh-what's there to even make up for, huh? It wasn't even your fault, dumbass..!" she didn't even know why that got such a reaction out of her-- it wasn't like she was mad at them! And she DEFINITELY wasn't worried! Damn, just them being there still was all she cared about.. but..
"I-I mean, uhh.. y.. yeah! You can, y'know.." .. no, she DIDN'T know! Think, Susie, think! ".. man, I dunno! Let's just go do something fun! Like, go get sundaes and eat them 'til we barf or something!!"
The tightening of Susie's arms around them forced all the tension out of them, and they returned the tightening grip, forced onto the balls of their feet to try and not have her lean over so much. It was funny though; that was probably one of the first times in a while that they felt safe... and that it was okay to feel that way.
No shame or self-hatred tainting the feeling and leaving them miserable as it usually did.
Just warm.
It was Susie wasn't as slick as she thought she was - or maybe Kris was just attentive when it came to the minute changes in her expression and her mannerisms. They laughed when her hand ruffled their hair, forcing their head down to try and hide the way her face turned red as a cherry. Kris really didn't get why she reacted like that, other than the fact that it was lame for them to even apologize at all.
But, they were glad that she didn't seem stressed or sad anymore.
They didn't bother to fix their hair as they straightened up, a wide grin spread across their face.
"I mean, even if it wasn't my fault, you were still like. Freaked out 'cause of me disappearing. And who knows, maybe the Stars here thought I was being boring or something." Kris barked out another little laugh, giving her one more tight squeeze before pulling away slightly.
Susie was... pretty awesome.
They couldn't just say that though. It'd get them launched like a harpoon in her efforts to hide whatever her expression would be. But they can think it with no repercussions.
"Maybe I should go spray paint more overpasses or throw eggs at cars. Or get in more fights." Kris snickered. "Lets get some ice cream and then see what kind of trouble we can get up to? Maybe we'll find some abandoned building or something we can ghost hunt in since we didn't do anything spooky for Halloween."
Journaling isn't something Kris enjoys doing, but they are... kind of in dire need of some sort of outlet for their "issues," and since they have no access to their therapist (not that they talked to him anyway), they're kind of grasping at straws.
Music, writing, doodling...
None of it really seems that helpful when their head feels simultaneously too full and too empty.
Kris is a bit distracted as they wander aimlessly through the aisles of some old timey looking arts and crafts store, picking at paper, pens, and felt sheets aimlessly. They could always pick up sewing again. That was nice... Kris is in the middle of trying to decide if they wanted to bother finding a new hobby, or leave when they round a corner and immediately run into someone.
They stumble back a step, instinctively reaching out to steady the person they ran into.
"Shit- sorry, that's my bad." They straighten up, rubbing the back of their neck. "You okay?" Damn it, they just ran into a literal kid, around Chara's age if they had to take a guess, though her clothes are a little weird, and gives them the impression of some sort of medieval fantasy setting.
This is... a really new installation, Kris thinks as they stop to stare up at the humanoid looking art piece at the art museum. They aren't usually the artsy type - they save that shit for therapy - but it's always nice and quiet there, so Kris likes it. And they've never see this before.
Pristine white metal, clear glass, realistic looking organs caught through glimpses.
Really intense.
And when it moves, they realize-
"Oh. Shit. Sorry. Thought you were some edgy new art piece or something." Kris lamely apologizes awkwardly. "Uh. Cool fit. Is all that like... costume stuff?"
i wanna start getting some activity back on here (slow and steady..) so this is very small starter call. capping it at 2, source partners are the exception!
“Of course I can. I would not have offered up my services if I had no interest in being your little information gofer. You do not need to worry one bit.”
They sure have a way with words, huh?
“You wish to know Susie’s birthday, do you not? But you feel it would be awkward coming from yourself? Do not fret. I can easily glean this information from her and she will be none the wiser to your previous ignorance.”
That's sure one way to put it... They wish Chara didn't phrase it like that, but it's not... entirely inaccurate. As embarrassing as that is to admit.
Kris rubs the back of their neck awkwardly, grumbling incoherently for a bit before finally, they groan and ruffle their own hair with their hands. Well. Might as well admit it since Chara called it...
"Y-yeah... I mean, if I asked, she'd ask about mine and... then we'd both feel like assholes and it's..." They wave a hand dismissively, not really wanting to expand on why they'd both feel like assholes since they doubt Chara knows when their birthday is anyway. "But, uh. You don't have to... if it'll be awkward for you."
@charadrxxmxrr replied to your post “... Wait, when's Susie's birthday? Probably...”: “If you would like, I can be a cute and curious child and ask for you.”
Chara... a lifesaver as usual.
They really shouldn't let Chara do their own investigating but... it's way too embarrassing to outright ask Susie, because then she'll ask them when their birthday is, and then they'll both feel like assholes. Then no one wins.
"... Normally I'd say something like, 'no no, I can do it' but..." The mental images of how embarrassing the whole conversation would end up being is too much to push past. "... Could you?"
It's been a bit since Kris has sought Jax out without a suggestion of some sort of juvenile chaos as the pretext. Truthfully, they just kind of want to be out of the house and not thinking about everything, with someone who isn't going to ask if there's anything wrong or something.
They weren't really sure if Jax would take them up on the offer to hang out at playground after park hours and eat pizza and probably find something to get up to. Like bathbombs in the laundromat washing machines or something.
Kris plops down on the floor of a playground castle's tallest tower, legs dangling over the edge with a couple boxes of pizza sitting next to them, and a bag of bottled soda - and mints, fireworks, and seaweed glitter bathbombs. Of course. Because like hell they're not going to bring some sort of entertainment to hang out somewhere with someone equally into trouble-making.
When they spot Jax approaching, they raise a hand in greeting and call out, "About time. I got your usual. Hopefully it's not cold."
"Ughhhhh... damn it. Whatever happened to month long stays in theaters, huh? It wasn't doing that bad in the box office, was it?" Kris huffs, dropping their phone on the bench beside them. They slouch in their seat, arms crossing over their chest as they pout.
Damn it.
They really wanted to see a movie and thought it would still be playing by time they got the energy to go out. But... nope. Just missed it it seems. Such a pain. At least the weather's good...
Honestly, the simple response was enough-- it was still very much Kris, especially with as little as they said. But before Susie knew it, they were wiggling their fingers in her face; immediately noticing the gloves she made them still on their hands, and her whole face lit up. She would've cheered, maybe even been a bit bashful if they hadn't then messed up her hair; causing her to start erupting with laughter.
"Hah! Dork, cut it out before I bite your hands off!!"
-- but then, in a very familiar motion, Kris suddenly tugged her down; knocking their foreheads together. Susie felt her eyes go wide, her cheeks filling with warmth; just staring straight at them for a moment that felt like it went on forever.
.. well, until she simply chose to press her forehead back against theirs; eventually sliding past them, and then immediately tucking her head into their much scrawnier shoulder.
".. yeah. You, uh.. left. Not for very long, but like.. all your stuff is out of the house. I'm sure it'll be an easy fix and stuff, but.. damn.. I thought.. maybe you weren't coming back."
She wrapped one arm around their shoulders, before eventually deciding that both was way better.
Susie's arms felt nice and warm around them, and Kris can't help but feel like they missed it. Which was a weird thing since they couldn't remember leaving at all. it was like their body remembered. And that was... scary. Or maybe it was the Soul that remembered, which was an uncomfortable thought that this Thing was even more aware of their situations than they were.
Kris wrapped their arms tight around Susie, gripping the back of her shirt and pulling her as close as they could. Like they were scared she herself would vanish the same as they apparently had. They buried their face against her shoulder, eyes shut tight, and took a deep breath.
Being hugged felt like coming home, when it was her hugging them.
"Sorry... I don't really get what happened, but... I'm glad I'm back. Promise it won't happen again - uh, I mean, if I have a choice, anyway." Kris said quietly, voice muffled by her shoulder.
I don't really want to leave you. Or Tenna. Or Chara.
Even though they have that promise to keep to Dess... Damn it. So many promises they just can't keep up with.
Kris sighed, hiding their face against Susie's neck. They aren't going to think about that. Just that Susie is there, and that they're there. Things were going to be okay. Even if it was infuriating that the Soul just sat in their chest, feeling smug in the fact that it knew more than they did. It was nothing new, but it was annoying regardless.
"... Can I do anything to make it up to you? For worrying you?"
Knock knock! He's got a basket of all kinds of snacks and fruits in one hand, and a stack of chocolate bars in the other. Some of them are... unusual flavours.
"Okay I've had enough of the mushy stuff, how about you two? Want to make weird candies and play adventure games?"
"Ha! You're the one that signed up to do the mushy stuff, didn't you?" Kris teases, even as they gladly hop to their feet from the couch and rush over. They stand on the balls of their feet, trying to see into the basket and see what kind of goodies are in there.
They reach in, grabbing something blindly like the little sneak they are, and drop back onto their feet fully.
"... What kind of flavor is 'Chewy Pastel?'" They look kind of like chalk.
They might be chalk. Well, that's for Susie for sure.
"Some of these flavors are really weird... maybe we should play a fighting game instead, and the losers have to eat the weird ones..."
