Chapter 3: A Saturday Morning in Hometown

A few days would soon pass by, and come the weekend, Dess was already starting to feel like a whole new person.

 

It had been a near-obsessive stretch for her following that fateful conversation with Gerson; she had looked up every single art school in the Northeast, found the ones that specialized in music, and then reached out to every one of them about applying, with the old man’s help, of course. As if by some stroke of luck, the vast majority of them had a late application deadline option, and that gave her juuust enough time to fill out the necessary paperwork and assemble a portfolio. Three weeks to get it all done and sent out, easy as pie!

By that first weekend, she’d already gotten herself a list of songs she hoped to record, and felt the entire circumstance worthy of celebration. Fortuitously, Carol happened to be taking Noelle out on an academic trip down by the coast in Port Town, which meant she’d have time all by herself to relax and celebrate.

Specifically, celebrate with someone she felt she hadn’t been all that present with.

 

…

 

Early on that mid-September Saturday morning, just as the first few leaves started to turn, two plaid-clad black-haired deer ambled into Hometown’s local diner for a spot of breakfast. To someone unfamiliar, it’d already be clear that they were related, but to the owner of such a small-town establishment, someone on a first–name basis with everyone there, she instantly knew who they were.

“Mornin’ there, Rudy,” QC greeted in her Southern drawl, coffee pot in hand. “Surprised seein’ you here this bright an’ early, ain’t ya usually at Church around now?”

Rudy nodded affirmatively. “Morning, QC. Decided not to go today, wife’s out of town with my youngest, and I couldn’t pass up some father-daughter time with my eldest.” He playfully elbowed Dess in the ribs. “Let me tell you, she’s usually a walking corpse in the morning, so savor it!”

This elicited a chuckle from the purple rabbit, and an eyeroll from Dess. “Well, why don’t ya seat yourselves, hon, and I’ll get over to y’all after I serve this fine good lookin’ over ‘ere!”

As the purple rabbit turned to pour some coffee to a now-blushing lioness at the counter, Dess scooched into one of the booths by the window, with Rudy sliding into the seat opposite from her.

The pair sat there for a few moments, unsure of where to even start, seeing as how little Dess interacted with the rest of the family as of late. Rudy would ultimately kick things off with a softball of a remark.

“Nice day this morning, isn’t it?”

“You’re telling me,” Dess answered warmly. “It’s just about perfect outside, temp-wise.” It was unseasonably cool, in truth, but for reindeer monsters like the Holidays, that worked in their favor.

Rudy nodded in turn. “I know, perfect weather out there, and not a cloud in the sky, either. Perfect plaid jacket weather if I do say so myself. Heck, even you’re rocking it! Frankly the look suits you well, too.”

She nodded politely in response, but grumbled in her mind over the comment. It’d been so long since Dess had worn plaid, it almost felt unnatural to her. Rudy was right in a sense; for a butch such as herself, plaid with jeans was a classic combination that certainly suited her. Yet all the same, it lacked the familiar weight of her Ostrheinland jacket, both literally and in a more personal political aura. She supposed there wasn’t anything too terribly wrong with a break in routine, though, especially if it was for her father. No need to knock heads with people today, and doubly so for him in particular.

Ultimately, she looked past it, and her mind drifted elsewhere, back to happier times. “Remember when we used to do this all the time, the four of us?” Dess reminisced, shifting the point of conversation away from her looks. “I swear, this was just about the only thing that made church bearable!”

The two shared a light giggle in the booth, Rudy joining in on the nostalgia trip now. “Shoot, when was the last time we did this? I think it was before you dyed your hair.” A wistful spark flew in his eye. “I remember you and Ellie used to make a proper ruckus in here, drawing on the windows when they fogged up with condensation, playing Hangmonster with a whole slew of nonsense words like… what was one of them… oh, ‘giasfelfebrehber!’ Noelle would always play that one, and you’d get so worked up, you’d be fixin’ to swing at her with your old wiffle bat! Oh, Carol and I used to just positively laugh at the mayhem you got up to! Smiles all around! Fa ha… hah….”

Just the mention of her name seemed to sink whatever joy there was in the conversation. Rudy’s body reciprocated, relaxing back into the padded seat of his booth.

“A lot’s changed, I suppose,” he mumbled.

“Yeah….” Dess’ mood dipped in turn, thinking dearly about who her mother once was. How she used to be so much nicer back when she was young, how she’d indulge in Dess’ mischief with Noelle, indulge in her, not scold her for the slightest misstep. It actually felt like love.

Why couldn’t things just be like that again?

Seeing QC make her way back over to them, menus in hand, she tried her best to shake the feeling. Nostalgia was nothing more than a fleeting longing for the past, she thought to herself. You’re a Socialist, remember? Keep looking to the future, bury the past. It’s better this way. She knew Azzy probably would’ve disagreed with her conclusion, and could almost hear him chiding her in her mind, but she pushed it all down as the purple rabbit finally reached them.

“And here’re a coupl’a menus for the two of ya’s. Soup of the day is a New Anglia Clam Chowder, feel free to take your time!” With the ring of a bell atop the door, another customer walked in, and QC went back to serve the others, leaving Dess alone again with her father.

The comment about Church from the rabbit earlier crept back into her mind, and a small pang of guilt pinched her. She should probably say something to Rudy about it.

“Hey, by the way, thanks for taking me out, Dad,” Dess said. “I know how important Church is to you, so this means a lot to me.”

Rudy gave her a warm smile, letting her know that it was all good. “Well if I’m being honest, Dess, I’m more of a vague spiritualist than a particularly pious type,” he soothed. “I’m mostly there for Car- er, your mother. Figure that’s where you picked up your atheism from, a natural extension from how your old man is. So don’t sweat it!” he finished off with a wink.

He nearly said her name again. Carol. Just the mere thought of it sent a cascade of memories and questions rushing through Dess’ head. Instead of elevating her into a frenzy, though, it only served to depress her mood, and her expression dropped as she circled her finger atop her menu.

Sensing something was wrong, Rudy dropped the carefree and joyful demeanor, and shifted towards an expression marked by concern. “What’s wrong, sugarplum?” he asked.

Dess tugged at the collar of her plaid overshirt, nervous, before she finally responded; if she could sink any deeper into it, she would.

“Does mom still love me?”

Rudy could feel his weary soul be squeezed from within at the stray question. “Of course, Dess,” he said, attempting to assuage his daughter. “What makes you say that?”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Dess folded up her arms on the table and buried her head in them. “I mean, we used to argue so much, get into so many fights… some of them… violent…”

“Mhm…” Rudy nodded, reflectively.

“But through all of that, it still felt like she cared about me. To a negative extent, mind you, but still! And now, after this past week, it just feels like she’s… stopped. She’s given up on me, and while Gerson’s given me some advice, it all still just… hurts!”

She balled her fists as her body shook the table, exposing a certain vulnerability in self that was common in nature but rare in cause. “I just… I hate to admit it, especially to her, but… I just want her to love me, dad! And I’m scared! I’m scared that I’ve pushed things too far, and that those good times we were talking about are a thing of the past!”

Sighing pitifully, Rudy shook his head to himself as thoughts of Carol went through his own mind, the conversations they’d had over the past few weeks going through his mind.

“Dess,” he said. “I’ve been talking to her a lot lately, and while there’s a lot I wish I could say that she’d rather me keep secret, I know for a fact that Carol still loves you. I know so. Even if she doesn’t show it, or comes off as aloof, trust me on this: deep down, she still cares about you.”

She lifted her head from her folded arms and stared right back at her father. “Do you actually believe that, Dad?” she shot back. “Or are you just saying that to make me feel better, the doormat that you are?”

The effect was immediate; with the way his expression dropped, it was as if his soul had shattered right there in his chest. Dess’ heart sank at the sight of it all, and quickly mumbled off an “I’m sorry…” as she looked back away, but the damage had already been done. For a good minute, they both sat there, quiet in the booth, absent-mindedly staring at their menus.

Fortunately for the both of them, QC had just finished bringing out a parfait to one of the other customers of the diner, and turned her attention back towards them. Her warm, bubbly presence was just enough to pull them out of their funk.

“Have we decided on what we wanna order?” she asked.

Both deer looked at each other, caught in the headlights, quickly glanced at the menus once more, and nodded. “I’ll go first,” Rudy said. “I’ll have the Five Dollar Breakfast Special, coffee ice cream in the shake and two bacon strips on the side.

“Five and dine, with double B and a caff-shaker!” QC confirmed to herself in some non-descript diner code. “And you, hun?”

Dess was still hurriedly darting her eyes about the menu. “Uhh… I’ll have the… umm… erm… I guess I’ll roll with the Hoppy Hunny Bun Pancake Platter with a side omelet… and a chocolate milk.” She paused for a moment, before apologetically adding on a “Please.”

“HH-O with a choccy, gotcha, hun!” She quickly scribbled the orders into her notepad. “I’ll have those out in a jiff, you two sit tight!” With that, she rushed off behind the counter and back into the kitchen.

“Shoot, you can really tell she’s from the South,” Dess playfully jabbed, before tacking on, “Kinda cute, though.”

She expected something from her father, a quip or some spirited follow-up to her sapphic comment, but he was still only sitting there quietly opposite to her, clearly hurt to some degree by what had been said earlier.

“Hey, um…” Dess looked down at her feet, sheepish. “I’m sorry about that… doormat comment. I know you mean well, and it wasn’t right to fire back at-”

“Dess,” he responded, cutting her off. “You don’t have to worry, I get it. Heck, I was pretty much the same way back when I was your age. Always so moody and angry and pent-up with worry, it’s natural! And all things considered, you’re certainly still in a better mood today from the sound of things,” he added, stuffing his feelings down and moving on. “The way your mother was talking to me, it sounded like you were completely out of sorts after the whole fiasco with those recruiters.”

Dess nodded along as she looked back up and gazed out the window, wishing she could be spare with her words, but knowing her dad would want the full story. “Yeah, that… went about as poorly as it could’ve gone,” she said with a morbid chuckle. “Got rejected from all of my desired landing spots, was told I’d die on the front lines in the desert since there was nothing better for me, and they called me slurs!”

Rudy perked up at the last mention. “No… you don’t mean…”

She leaned over and whispered it into his ear, wishing not to upset any of the other patrons with her utterance. “Duster.”

His eyes wide and jaw just about ready to come unhinged, Rudy did his best to compose himself and nodded in understanding. “Your mother… she didn’t tell me about that part,” he admitted.

“I never told her,” Dess said bluntly.

Rudy continued nodding along. “I get that. Makes a lot of sense now why you were so cagey about the whole ordeal.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Dess chuckled; the event felt so far removed already, it was almost comical to her how bigoted that human was. She could scantly even recall his name.

Her father chuckled, too. “I’m honestly surprised you’re in as good of sorts as you are right now,” Rudy said. “You’d usually be all worked up and angry about this for a good few weeks after the fact. It’s honestly refreshing to see you so relatively happy!”

She smiled and nodded in confirmation. “I mean, yeah, I’d say I’m still not fully over that, you heard as much yourself earlier… but yeah, it’s definitely smoother sailing than usual.” She sat there for a moment, gazing out the window again to watch as a few leaves flew off into the breeze, before adding, “It definitely helps that it feels like I have an actual purpose in life now.”

This grabbed Rudy’s attention. “Oh? Pray tell.”

Dess couldn’t help but blab excitedly now that she had the opportunity. “Okay, so you know how I told you I went to talk with Gerson earlier?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, he got the idea in my head of going to art school! That’s why I’ve been so busy this past week; I was getting all my application information all in order to send them out, not to mention all of the phone calls and other busy work!”

“Really?!” Rudy couldn’t help but feel impressed. “Wow, Dess, I’m so proud of you for taking the initiative there, that’s so unlike you!”

“Heh, I know, right?”

“But seriously,” he continued, “I’m glad to hear that things are working out so well for you in that regard. With how much it’s seemed like you’ve been struggling lately, both with mood and life in general, I’m happy to hear you’re doing so well!”

Dess nodded in agreement, her own thoughts reciprocating her father’s.

“It’s funny,” she mentioned. All of this work on such a tight schedule, it feels like it should be overwhelming. But it’s not! For once, it feels like what I have in front of me is manageable, not just for getting done, but for getting it done well!”

She sank back into her seat, relaxing a bit as she pondered. “Is this what it’s like to be a normal person? To feel ‘normal?’”

Rudy couldn’t help but chuckle at his daughter’s comment. “Fah! ‘Normal,’ like anyone in this family is normal!”

“You know what I mean, Dad!” she playfully jabbed back. “I mean, I’m not a complete and total mess for once is what I’m saying! It’s… nice.”

Nodding along, Rudy smiled a little more at the comment, visibly happy to see her daughter in such a state. “So, anything specific yet on what you might wanna do?”

Dess thought for a moment, but ultimately just shook her head no. “Nah, not yet. I’ve looked into a lot of the programs up here in the Northeast, and I do have a few vague ideas. Guitar, singing, piano, composing, maybe even production, but nothing solid yet. I’ll probably make a firmer decision once I’ve figured out where I’m likely to end up. Hopefully I end up at Megalopolis College of Music and Arts, since I know Azzy hopes to end up at City College there, but really any of them are fine, even the one in Belford, the dump that city is! As long as I’m close to Azzy, I’ll be happy!”

“Well, it sounds like you’ve got a wide selection of things to choose from, that oughta keep ya busy!” Playing back what he had just been told, Rudy couldn’t help but chuckle to himself some. “Oh! It only just registered to me what you said about Azzy, fah! You two really are a pair of lovebirds, huh?”

She giggled gleefully. “Oh, yeah, I don’t know what I’d do without him! Fa ha hah!”

“Does he know about this plan of yours?”

She stuck her thumb up in confirmation and grinned. “Yeah, we talked about it as I was applying, he’s already applied to basically every high-tier university across the Northeast, so worst-case scenario I’d only ever be an hour by car or two by train away or so.”

Rudy nodded along. “You’re so lucky to have each other, you know that? Reminds me of…” He was about to say himself and Carol, but knew just as it was prepared to slip from his tongue that comparing Dess to her mother in any way would probably send her down into a spiral. And before breakfast could come out, too!

Dess snorted, having ignored the unfinished thought. “Yeah, more like I’m lucky to have him, fa ha ha…” She herself began to trail off, the darkness of melancholy creeping up within the recesses of her mind.

Rudy could sense the thought had brought something upon his daughter, even without Carol being mentioned. “Hey, Dess? Whatcha thinking about?”

She rubbed her arm, caught in thought.

“Nah, I mean… I’m more lucky to have him than he is to have me, right? Like, Bratty and Catty, Ember, pretty much all of the girls in our year would be crawling each other to date him. Hell, Bratty was his first kiss, and she still brags about that to this day!”

“Wasn’t she also your first kiss?” Rudy asked, completely sidetracked by the mention.

“I mean, yeah, but that was earlier, when she was still dating Catty… heh, to think that if I played my cards right, I could’ve ended up in a polycule with them…”

Dess shook her head, breaking free from that tangent. “But that’s the point! I fucked it up, played it at the wrong time, and ended up breaking them apart and ending up with nobody! And that’s what I do…” She shrank back into her seat, curling herself in her plaid overshirt. “That’s what I always do. If Azzy were to get sick of me tomorrow and break things off, he’d just go find some other girl… or guy, maybe… and he’d be set! Me, though? I’m a toxic asset, I have no friends my age beside him as-is! And even then, I’m pretty sure the only reason I’m with him now is because we’re neighbors and family friends by happenstance. If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t give two shits about me.”

Her mood fully sunk, her body reciprocated, sliding down depressively in her booth seat. Rudy scrambled mentally to find the right words, really hoping that he didn’t come off as too much of a doormat this time around.

“Look, Dess,” he assured, “Asriel isn’t the type to break up with you. I mean, I’ve seen how that boy talks about you when it’s just the two of us at Church, and I swear I see his eyes light up every time your name comes up! He’s obsessed with you more than just about anyone… well, except for you with him, that is! Fah!”

He laughed, and hoped that Dess would too, but she still remained nervously silent.

“Ah… well anyway, I’m also sure that even if we weren’t friends with the Dreemurrs, he still would’ve become friends with you. And I think, no, I know that because he likes you for who you are. Even through thick and thin, through all of your own struggles, and I assure you, his own, too, he loves you.”

Sighing, he still held onto hope, but Dess kept her silence, now fully entangled by the tendrils of melancholy. It was starting to seem like nothing could convince his headstrong daughter to change her mind.

“You believe your old man on this, right?” He said as one last desperate comment.

A long, tense moment of silence followed, before Dess, looking down at her feet, gave a meek and tired response.

“Can we just drop the subject?”

Rudy was crestfallen by the response, but nodded back. “Okay, then.” Silence falling over the booth, they took to sitting idly and gazing out the window upon the early fall scene outside, listening to the bustle and chatter of other patrons in the diner as 80s music faintly played from a speaker in the kitchen, the sound echoing out through the shut door and service window. Dess hadn’t paid it any mind beforehand, but listening more intently now, she silently fought to keep herself from weeping as the music played.

 

After my picture fades and darkness has turned to gray.

Watching through windows, you’re wondering if I’m okay.

Secrets stolen from deep inside,

The drum beat’s out of time.

 

If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find me,

Time after time.

If you fall I will catch you, I’ll be waiting,

Time after time.

 

What would’ve been otherwise described as a cheesy song by her was genuinely moving her, thinking of Asriel and whether or not he’d always be there waiting for her, whether she herself was worthy of being caught in a fall, or if it were better for her to just hit the ground.

And so moved the volume dial, or so it seemed, as the door to the kitchen flew open as QC came out with two steaming trays of fresh food. “Holiday family, pipin’ hot, comin’ through!” She announced, setting the two trays down in front of the two deer.

The food was simply scrumptious-looking, as was expected from QC’s; it was as if it were straight out of a Studio Ghibli film. Rudy’s dish was the first to be set down, and the Breakfast Special sure as hell lived up to its name. A plate of the fluffiest, softest-looking waffles, adorned with melty butter, a drizzle of caramel, and one delectably crispy fried egg on top. Two long, fatty strips of bacon, cooked to a crunchy delight. A bowl of soup on the side, a positively piping-hot chowder. And for the coupe-de-gras, a milkshake on the side, loaded with a finely blended coffee ice cream to a soft, flowy consistency, with a hearty drizzle of hot chocolate fudge layered atop a dollop of soft whipped topping, crowned with a single red cherry at the peak.

Dess’ own meal was nothing to sneeze at, either. A stack of buttermilk pancakes, somehow even softer and fluffier than even Rudy’s waffles, with fresh Vermont maple syrup dripping down the sides, the whipped butter at the top slowly melting down in with the slow flow. The omelet, tucked over on the side, was a gooey delight; crispy egg on the outside, but visibly soft on the inside, melty cheese oozing out from the sides, and the internal accouterments visible from the exterior: green pepper, onion, ham, bacon, and chives. And of course, on the side of her tray, a tall, imposing glass of the frothiest chocolate milk she had ever seen.

With it all in front of her, it was like staring through a window into the past. Warm, tender memories flooded her mind once more, of Noelle and her splitting a meal together on a cold winter’s day, her parents sat across from them, smiling happily as they themselves ate.

She absentmindedly thanked QC for bringing out the food, but was so captured and enraptured by her nostalgia that she couldn’t be bothered to hear what she said. Taking her fork and knife, she delicately cut off a slice of one of her pancakes, smothered it in syrup, and then slowly popped it in her mouth.

It wasn’t merely like heaven, it simply was.

 

…

 

With the last slice of her omelet being washed down with the dregs of her chocolate milk, Dess set her fork and knife back down atop her now-cleared plate. It was funny how the overwhelming memory of the past had also brought back her appetite; ironic for her being a pothead, but she really hadn’t been eating much as of late. One, maybe two smaller meals a day, but that was about it. Food hadn’t really been of much interest to her, although until recently, it felt like not much in life was, either.

But like the rekindled inferno that was her love of music, so too had her appetite been reignited at the sight of QC’s cooking.

Rudy could clearly see that Dess was in much more elevated spirits after such a large and tasty meal; they had eaten together in silence, relaxing to the soft sound of 80s music echoing from the kitchen as they finished their meals. After paying off the check QC had left them, he slowly nursed the last of his milkshake, hoping to touch base with his daughter once more. “Feeling better with all that food in ya, Dess?”

She kept mum for a moment, before nodding back. “I suppose so… heh, so much for me being well-put-together, huh?”

“Ah, it’s alright,” he assuaged. “I told ya, I know how you are. As long as you’re feeling better now, that’s all that matters

She nodded affirmatively; there was still a nagging thought or two festering in her mind, there always was, but the food really did help some.

Rudy continued, taking a sip before speaking. “So, everything else is all good with the college stuff?”

“Yeah, I just need to get that portfolio then and submit my transcript. I should have that all wrapped up by the end of next week, hopefully.”

Rudy nodded, before a thought caught his mind. “Your grades are good enough, right?”

Those festering thoughts in the back of Dess’ mind reared their ugly head. “That’s actually the one thing that’s been eating at my mind as of late,” she confessed. “Gerson keeps telling me that what I have is good enough, and that worst-case scenario I have time to pull them up some more, but I still have this nagging feeling that my GPA and test scores are gonna be the snagging point. They weren’t good enough for the Air Force, so… who knows….”

Rudy tried to offer her some words of comfort, although he realized there wasn’t much he could say; Dess’ grades really hadn’t been anything to sneeze at, especially with how little she tried. Before he could even offer something, though, she laughed at herself and continued.

“But I shouldn’t worry!” she said, stuffing her concerns down deep in her soul. “If Gerson says I’m good, then I’m totally good. He’d never have a reason to lie to me! And if all else fails, I’ll still have my safety school in Belford to fall back on, and lemme tell you, they’ll take anyone there from the sound of things.”

She went full giggle-girl for a moment, her hands twitching as she leaned forward on the table.

“And hey! If I can’t get into there, then I might as well kill myself, since I’d clearly never be going anywhere! Fa ha hah! Ha… hah….”

Her manic fit was nipped in the bud as her father took hold of her hands, squeezing them tightly as a ghastly expression crept up on his face. There was fear in his eyes.

Staring deep into his gaze, then gazing down at her own hands, she looked down in disgust, before retracting her hands and sticking them in her pockets. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, letting off a light chuckle and weak smile as she continued. “Fuck… even at my best, I’m still just… a total wreck….”

She looked back up at her father, concern still resting on his face.

“For the record,” she added, “I was being hyperbolic there. I guess that was just… really bad taste.”

“Agreed.” Rudy’s voice, usually so full of energy, was dry and flat as he took one last sip from his milkshake, swirling the straw to suck up the dregs. “You know, Dess, I know that the last time you were on the meds didn’t go so well-”

“Dad.” She cut him off with a terse, rigid voice. “I’m fine. I’m safe. I… I’m sorry, you know how I feel about that, after the lamotrigine.”

He held his tongue, again, really wishing he could muster up the strength to push back, but didn’t wish to cause a scene. She really was just like her mother. “Okay, Dess. I’ll drop it.” Pushing aside his shake, he eased himself up from the table, hoping to maybe renew the discussion in a more private setting, although a part of him knew deep down that it wouldn’t ever happen. “Alright, then. Ready?”

Dess didn’t need a second mention to get moving, and slid out of her booth in a flash. “I’m thinking after we get back home I’ll start recording, if that’s okay with you,” she said, her mood already swinging back like a pendulum. “I already have a list of everything compiled and all the sheet music printed and prepped, just need to get it on disc to send out in the portfolio.” She turned back and waved at the purple rabbit, who was pouring coffee for a rabbit monster. “Thanks again, QC!”

“Aw, anytime, hon!” she answered back as Dess and Rudy went out the door.

 

…

 

As they exited QC’s Diner, the harmonious ringing of church bells filled the air around Hometown, creating an ethereal sense of placelessness as the pair walked down the sidewalk.

“Huh, Church must’ve just gotten out,” Dess dryly commentated, none too taken by the public display of religiosity. Yet all the same, as much as she hated to admit it, there was a sense of comfort that came with the bells, as if a part of her knew something, or someone, was tied to their presence.

A voice rang out from across the street, as if on cue: “Hey, Dess!”

She turned, instantly knowing who it was. Running down the opposite sidewalk, Asriel darted across the road, his purple choir robes flowing behind him as he ran up. “Nice seeing you so early! You’re usually dead until one!” His loving gaze shifted, and morphed into a merely friendly one as he noticed Rudy right beside her. “O-oh! Hey, Rudy! Didn’t see you at service today!”

The elder buck chuckled, a warm smile on his face. “Yeah, I was taking Dess out to breakfast, her treat for applying to art school! Hoping the choir sounded good without Noelle there.”

“Oh yeah, she’s a prodigy! She’s one of the best voices I’ve ever heard… almost.” He gave Dess a wink with that last mention. “Of course, nobody sounds better than you, Dess.”

That final bit was definitely hammed up with the lovey-doveyness, but that was Asriel’s love language, wasn’t it? She gave her dad a glance, who responded with a knowing wink.

He loves you.

Asriel continued on, swaying back and forth with hands behind his back like he was an anime schoolgirl proposing to a lover. “Hey, so this may be a crazy question, but since you’re up so early… maybe we could take the noon train down to Port Town after I get changed out of these robes, check out the record store you like down there. How about it, De-”

Before he could finish asking, Dess slid in up to him and kissed him right on the lips, practically swooning the both of them as Rudy cackled in the background. “Easy there, now!” he playfully jabbed.

Pulling away, her arms wrapped around Asriel’s heavy robes, Dess let off an amorous chuckle as she flipped her hair out of her face. Screw her plans for recording, that could wait until tomorrow.

“I’d love that, Azzy,” she said tenderly. “I’d love that a whole lot.”