As Kris gathered their thoughts, Susie and Ralsei sat against the wall of the tutorial space.

“Ralsei.”

“Hm?”

“Your dummy looks stupid.”

“What are you really thinking, Susie?”

Susie sighed, then said, “I just...why do we have to learn how to flirt? Can’t we just leave it to the only one who knows how?”

“B-because,” Ralsei defended, “It can be a v-vital skill in pacifist battles, practiced even by the ones before us, that enables us to spare the enemy immediately, a-and-”

The longer he talked, the more Susie saw through his facade. “Nah, I get it.”

Ralsei smiled. “Oh, Susie, thank goodness! I didn’t want to bore you with such an explanatio-”

“You just want an excuse to flirt with Kris, don’t you?”

Ralsei stopped dead. He adjusted his scarf to be higher on his face to hide his blush.

“D-don’t be ridiculous, Susie, I-”

“Save it. Everyone knows you have a major crush on them.” Ralsei sunk deeper into his scarf, knowing she was right.

Kris cleared their throat to get the attention of their friends. Ralsei immediately sat up. Susie stayed slumped where she was.

“The way you two flirt is just shameful,” Kris started off.

“Thank you, very kind,” Susie deadpanned.

“Relax, it was just a way to introduce the subject.” Kris paused, then tried again. “You two need some help, and luckily I’m here for that.” They struck a pose and shot Ralsei a look that made his heart throb. “I’m here to teach you how to flirt.”

Susie blinked. “I’m starting to think you aren’t the only one who’s using this as an excuse to flirt, Rals.”

“Shh, let them talk,” Ralsei whispered.

“First of all,” Kris said, pointing a finger, “You can’t just read off some poetry or repeat what you saw on TV. Good flirting comes from the heart. For example…” Kris turned to the dummy.

“W-wait!” Ralsei suddenly said, “I-I have a spell that can help the lesson!”

“Oh?” Kris said, “Go ahead. What is it?”

Ralsei closed his eyes and focused on the dummy. After a few moments of infusing it with magical energy, the dummy blinked twice, coming to life.

“There! Now, it’ll react more naturally to your flirting so you don’t feel like you’re talking to a wall.”

“Thank you, Ralsei,” Kris smiled at him, “This is great. Now, back to my example.” They turned to the dummy.

They stared at it for a few moments, thinking. “Usually I have this time in battle while everyone’s deciding what to do. Flirting is something you need to really think about if it doesn’t come naturally.”

“I’m surprised it does come naturally for you,” Susie remarked. “I’ve never seen you chat anyone up at school.”

“Have you seen the kids in our school?” Kris said.

“Fair point,” Susie said. “Except Noelle. But her and I got somethin’ goin on, so obviously you don’t go for her.”

“Didn’t you tell me you broke her locker instead of asking her out last week?” Ralsei piped up.

Susie huffed. “I was TRYING to do the thing where she’s leaning against her locker and I put my hand on the locker and lean over her! To impress her! Like in those anime videos Alphys accidentally puts on classroom instead of our assignment instructions! I didn’t think the locker would BREAK.”

“Well, you are pretty strong..” Ralsei mumbled. He remembered her easily picking him up and hurtling him at K.Round. He shuddered.

“See, this is why I need to teach you guys this,” Kris said, “It will help you in real life. Now, watch and learn.

Ralsei nodded enthusiastically. Susie rolled her eyes, but paid attention for Noelle’s sake.

“Dummy,” Kris started simply, “That is the prettiest scarf I’ve ever seen. What material is it?” They walked closer and started feeling the scarf, leaning in close. The dummy watched them and started to blush at the proximity.

“Is this fleece? It sure feels like it. Feels nice.” They felt their way from the tip of the scarf to the top of the piece wrapped around the dummy’s neck, then brought their hands up to rest on it’s cheeks. The dummy blushed harder.

“This feels nicer, though.” Kris rested their forehead against the dummy’s. It blushed even harder.

Kris pulled back. “My scarf is made of something else. Not nice fleece, like yours. No, mine is made of….” Kris shot the dummy a smirk. “Sheer partner material.”

Next to her, Susie noticed Ralsei blushing as hard as the dummy and gripping his scarf.

“And that,” Kris said, turning to their friends, “Is how you properly flirt.”

“My, my, Kris,” Ralsei said, “That was most illuminating.” Susie looked between Ralsei and the dummy. Their eyes followed the same path, they were blushing the same amount…

“Why are you and the dummy, like, in sync?” She said.

“O-oh,” Ralsei said, snapping out of his daze. “That’s my spell! In order to bring the dummy to life, I had to infuse it with my magical energy. But in doing that, it synched us up, so the dummy follows my movements within the limits of it’s articulation, and I, um,” Ralsei hesitated, “I-I...feel everything the Dummy is feeling. Physical contact-wise.”

“I see,” Kris said quietly. “In that case, stop your spell. We don’t need the dummy anymore.”

“We-we don’t?”

Kris shook their head. “Nope. If you’re feeling everything the dummy feels anyway, I might as well just go directly to the source.” Kris sauntered over to Ralsei and grabbed his hands, pulling him up from his sitting position. They held on for just a little too long before finally letting go.

Susie dragged her hand down her face in annoyance. These two were so oblivious she wanted to eat her own face off.

“Susie,” Kris said, suddenly turning to her, “What was it you said you tried to do with Noelle when you broke her locker?”

“Don’t patronize me,” She growled. “But, uh, you mean the wall lean thing? ‘Cause there’s no way I’m ever trying that again.”

“Wall lean, got it.” Kris turned back to Ralsei. “Now I’m going to show you how to flirt again, this time making it more personal. It’s easier and more effective when you know more about the person. In fact, if you really like the person, things will just slip out without you even having to think.”

“Good to know,” Ralsei said. He took his hat off to have something to hold onto and looked at Kris expectantly. “A-are you going to start soon, or…?”

“You are really cute,” Kris said.

“Huh?”

“I-I mean.” Kris recollected themself. Were they blushing, or was Ralsei seeing things? “Your glasses. Glasses make people cuter. You’re probably just as cute without them, though.”

“Thank you, Kris,” Ralsei said.

“Actually, tangent. Can I try them on?” Kris took the glasses from Ralsei’s face and put them on their own.

“Um, Kris,”

“How do I look, Ralsei? Do you think they increased my cuteness stat?”

“Yes, I’m sure, but um...I need those to see.”

“Oh.”

Ralsei reached out into the blurry mess that was his vision to attempt to look for his glasses, dropping his hat in the process. His hands landed on something cold and grey as well as something soft and magenta on top.

Stepping closer, he could see a blue blob with some green mixed in towards the top, blanketed by a much darker blue. Ralsei couldn’t make out Kris’ expression, but it was some kind of smile.

“Very forward. I like it,” Kris said slyly. Had his vision not been blurred, Ralsei would’ve seen the expression that matched their tone.

Ralsei squeaked and his hands shot back down to his sides. “Oh, sorry! ...Please just give me my glasses back.”

Susie rubbed her temple, having been watching all of this. “I swear to god, there’s more tension between you two than a stretched rubber band.”

“Oh yeah, Susie’s here too.”

“What, too busy making googly eyes at him you forgot about me? Thanks.”

“I should actually be thanking you. I need to teach you as well, after all, and I know just how to do it.”

“Oh, yeah? How’re you gonna do that?”

“Watch. Try this out with Noelle.”

Susie rolled her eyes, but paid attention anyway.

Kris gently pushed Ralsei until his back was flat against the wall. Leaning in, they put his glasses back onto him and brushed one of his ears back.

“I’m sorry to have temporarily blinded a boy as sweet as you, Ralsei. You blind me in a way, too. When I see you, everything else fades away.”

They pulled away only to put their hand on the wall next to Ralsei’s head and lean back in, closer this time. They placed their other hand on his waist, making his tail twitch.

Kris looked Ralsei directly in the eye and their voice lowered to almost a whisper. “Words cannot express how much I want to kiss you right now.”

Ralsei sputtered. Heat rushed to his face. He tried to say something, but his jaw just hung open in flustered shock.

He covered his face and slid down the wall. Kris watched, then knelt down in front of him and took his hands away from his face, holding them. They brought his hands up to their lips, but hesitated and lowered them before they could meet.

“See?” Kris said, grinning at them. “Easy.” They were blushing lightly.

Ralsei looked away, but kept his hands in Kris’ grasp. “As if I can beat a demonstration as amazing as that, haha…But i’ll try.”

He cleared his throat and thought for a moment, waiting for his blush to subside.

“Kris,” he started, “You really mean so much to me. You were my first friend, and you’ve been by my side this whole adventure. I couldn’t ask for someone more kind, caring, and peaceful to have been chosen by the prophecy.” He shifted onto his knees to be on the same eye level as Kris and looked them in the eye. “My very soul is enamoured with you, Kris, a-and I can only hope that you feel the same. I…..” He looked at the floor for a moment in contemplation, but shook his head. “I..I’m really glad to have met you, Kris.”

He looked back up and stared at their astonished, blushing face, and brushed their hair out of the way to see their eyes. He melted into a smile and cupped his hand around their soft cheek. “You have beautiful eyes. Has anyone ever told you?”

Kris blinked a few times, then broke into a smile of their own. They cupped their hand around Ralsei’s, closing their eyes and leaning into his touch.

They stayed like that for a moment, just staring and enjoying each other’s presence.

Then Susie coughed. Loudly.

“So, how was that flirting ‘demonstration’?” she said, doing obvious air quotes.

“Oh, uh…” Kris was still speechless. “I-it was exceptional. 10/10 would flirt with again. Outstanding. I haven’t met anyone better at flirting.”

“Why did you do air quotes? They were just faking for the lesson.” Ralsei looked a bit sadder at that.

Kris coughed. “NoIwasnt.”

“Huh?” Ralsei looked at them, concerned. “Are you alright, Kris? I’ve never heard you cough like that before.”

“For the smartest one in the group, you sure are dense.” Susie shook her head. She stood up and stretched. “Anyway, is the lesson over yet? I’m starving.”

“Yes, the cakes should be finished baking by now...Shall we go back to the castle, Kris?” Ralsei stood up, grabbing his hat along the way, and offered his free hand to Kris. They nodded and took it. Ralsei pulled them up and started tugging them towards the castle, following Susie’s eager lead.