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Kris spared the last viroviro-kun, now cured by the trio’s tender loving care, and with that, the battle was over.
“Good work, you two!” Ralsei said, smiling and clapping gently.
Susie slung the Devilsknife back over her shoulder and huffed. “It’ll take more than a couple viruses to knock me down,” she proclaimed, waving her free hand carelessly.
Ralsei, bouncing on his toes, giggled. “Because you’re a big and strong dragon, right, Susie?” he asked, with a playful wink.
Her grin widened. “Obviously.”
Beside them, Kris sheathed their sword and then swiped at their hair, their knitted brows the only part of their face that betrayed any emotion. Their cheeks were flushed a faint purple, and the neon lights of a nearby LED strip tinted the sheen of sweat on their skin in bright shades of cyan, yellow, and magenta.
“Kris, are you okay?” Ralsei asked, stepping towards them. Of the three of them, Kris pushed themself the most, even though their body was the thinnest and physically weakest, lacking Susie’s muscles or Ralsei’s fitness. Kris had the advantage in speed and intelligence, never mind dexterity, but when it came to stamina…
“M’fine,” Kris mumbled. “Just worn out.”
Susie shot them a dubious look, eyes narrowed and one thick brow raised. “Uh, you didn’t get infected by one of those guys, did you?”
“Maybe it’d be a good idea to rest for a moment?” Ralsei suggested.
Kris quickly shook their head, face creasing further in clear agitation. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence; the other two fussing over them often made them retreat back into their shell.
Ralsei and Susie exchanged mutual glances of concern and confusion, sharing the now-familiar thought of What should we do to help? Kris ignored them, instead rummaging around in their unitard pockets until they pulled out a familiar pink ribbon they’d found in another city alleyway. The other two looked on as Kris held the ribbon in their mouth, swept most of their hair into a rough ponytail—leaving their fringe and sidelocks to cover their face, still—and then tied it in place with the ribbon. The tension eased from Kris’ expression and shoulders as they lowered their arms again, sighing in relief.
Ralsei and Susie both stared at the sight before them. Now Kris had pulled away the curtain of hair plastered to their skin, they’d left the curve of their jaw and their entire neck exposed, including the lines drawn down their throat from beneath their ears, before all was swallowed up by their mantle and their unitard’s high collar. It didn’t make any sense; it was only skin. Kris already went around with their scarred upper arms exposed to the world, and yet—
Kris noticed them both staring and frowned. The presence of the bright pink ribbon in their hair enhanced the blood-red color of their eyes, too. “What?”
Susie jolted, as if she’d been caught in the middle of doing something incriminating, and she hastily assumed an uncaring posture. “N-nothing!” she insisted, despite the way her volume and tone rocketed. “Just, uh—wasn’t expecting you to, like, change your style so…”
“Y-you look really good with your hair up, Kris!” Ralsei stammered out from behind his hand, pressed over his mouth. “And, um, the ribbon really m-matches your mantle, too…”
The purple flush of Kris’ freckled cheeks grew redder in hue. “It’s just to cool off,” they muttered, glancing aside. “It’s hot in these clothes.”
Ralsei and Susie exchanged glances again, communicating the question of So why don’t you take the rest off, too? to each other with wide eyes and flushed faces. Neither had the courage to say it out loud, though, never mind in the middle of enemy territory.
“W-well, then,” Ralsei said, quickly, “why don’t we leave the alleys and find somewhere that’s less, um, stuffy?”
Susie jumped to agree with this suggestion, saying, “Yeah—good idea, Ralsei!” She shoved at Kris’ shoulder, accidentally with enough force to make them stumble. The clack of their sabatons on the tarmac echoed loudly in the alleyway. “C’mon, Kris. Let’s get out of this creepy place, already!”
Kris glanced between the two of them with a tight expression, their silence weighing heavily like judgement, except that its blow was softened by their unfading blush. Still, they didn’t yank the ribbon back out of their hair. They only nodded and spun a little fast on their heel to lead everyone back to the bustling city road. Susie and Ralsei fell into step behind them, knowing that even without Kris’ impeccable sense of direction to guide them, they’d both be too distracted staring at their newly exposed sliver of smooth, soft skin to figure out where to go, anyway.