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It has been five days since Dess disappeared.
Togore didn’t really care for her to begin with, but their household was especially agitated because of the news. His father was spending his nights at the police station so that he wouldn’t miss any calls and was persistently searching every last inch of their town and surrounding forest until his deputy Undyne would come around to force him to take at least a little break; her own revolve could have rivaled his father’s, and it didn’t matter that they were often flipping the very same rocks.
His mother also spared little time for herself, handing over missing person fliers and negotiating with neighboring communities to organize search parties. Moreover, he heard that she and aunt Carol went to the capital and pressured representatives to such a degree, ‘December Holiday’ became the most well-known missing monster in their state. However, that left very little time for her classes, and so younger children were studying at home.
Surprisingly, Asriel seemed to be the most affected by her disappearance. Togore knew that the two of them were rather close, but even then he was bemused at seeing him crying his eyes out. If Asriel did not spend his time crying over Dess, he was either sleeping (which he barely managed these days, always waking Togore up in the middle of the night) or laying on the floor motionless and hugging her jacket. Kris also grew more quiet and reserved, though that was something Togore was grateful for.
He spent most of his time going over homework in advance or reading new books he was fortunate enough to get the other week. He did help with the search if he was asked of course, but, honestly, he’d rather stare at his ceiling and contemplate the sacred nature of creation. When his mother got him pancakes for the breakfast today, he recognized from her tired expression that she wanted to ask him for some work again. Well, since the pancakes were adorned with his favorite syrup…
“Togore, honey,” she managed an insincere smile as she ruffled the fur on his head. “Do you know how Chester and Noelle are doing?”
“Not really.”
“Yes, right. But aren’t you and Chester friends?”
“We are.”
“So…” she drawled, perhaps expecting him to finish. She gave up rather quickly though and uttered with a sigh. “Maybe you could visit Chester and share some kind words for him? I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. He really loved Dess after all.”
He hadn’t seen Chester since the news broke out, and, truth to be told, a part of him almost missed his cheerful face; it probably won’t become cheerful again for some more time, but still. Before getting into his outdoor clothing, Togore grabbed his notebook and attempted to skim through general words of support, not satisfied with his results thus far. Half of his lines were either inappropriate for the situation at hands or sounded less than decent in his rendition, and it’s not like he could have improvised. His dilemma was interrupted rather quickly however, with his mother announcing that she will be taking him to the Holiday’s herself.
It was a bright morning outside, perhaps a little bit too bright for Togore’s liking, and it was too warm for him to feel comfortable in his sweater. More importantly though, he disliked that his mother was holding his paw the entire time, though, from the logical perspective, he could have understood not letting children wander too far, considering the circumstances. Despite more than amicable weather, there was not a single child playing outside.
He visited the Holiday mansion before, but it was his first time doing so without Asriel or Kris, and the sheer scope of the place made him a little bit uncomfortable. Big enough for six kids and four adults on any other day, it greeted Togore with unnerving stillness, and the disturbingly-clean living room made him think of a house prepared for a sale. Well, at least his mother let him go as she gently closed the door after them.
“Give me one moment!” he heard uncle Rudy’s voice from the kitchen and, exactly in twenty eight moments, he emerged with a large serving of a fruit cake. “Don’t worry, I bought that one in a convenience store, ha ha!”
Uncle Rudy appeared to be as cheerful as ever, ruffling Togore’s fur and hugging his mother. He was too busy watching over the house while aunt Carol departed for another meeting, so Togore assumed that he was certainly glad to see them.
“Noelle’s playing that game again,” uncle Rudy said absentmindedly as he cut the fruitcake. “And Chester… well, he is in her room. You don’t mind paying him a visit, little fella?”
He betrayed a wry smile and entrusted Togore with two servings before patting him on his back. Togore was pretty sure that uncle Rudy wanted to discuss something with his mother, but, too mindful of his presence, decided to talk about weather outside and some recipes. He moved to the second story a little bit sluggishly, trying to balance two dishes in his small paws, and finally stood before Dess’ room. Perhaps his very soul should have been taken by a grip of sorrow over a childhood friend he might never see again, but he could only think about opening that thing with his paws occupied. In the end, he simply opted to place them on a nearby table.
Togore never managed to peek inside her bedroom (not like he genuinely wanted to), but it hardly surprised him as he entered. It was twice as messy as Asriel’s room, with random things she swiped laying around, had edgy posters plastered all over her closet doors, and once expensive musical instruments blessed by her touch looked no better than junk as they were carefully piled in a corner. He initially assumed that her bed was unkempt this entire time, but then he noticed something moving under the sheets.
“Chester?” he asked, approaching.
The movement stopped abruptly, and, after a hesitation, Chester climbed from underneath.
“Oh, err, hey,” he said uncertainly, his eyes evading Togore’s. “Sorry for not calling you recently. Many things happened.”
“I didn’t particularly care.”
“Yeah, right. That… sounds so you-like, ha ha! Well, what brings you here?”
“Mom forced me to go.”
“Ha ha, I… I could have guessed!”
Chester tried to hide it with a hollow chuckle, but it was painfully obvious how little he was interested in their conversation. Togore uttered a sigh and got his notebook. He disliked seeing Chester so downhearted, and it’s not like finding a few reassuring words should be especially taxing. Their little scene took more time than Togore would have liked however, and Chester couldn’t help but stare at him in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to find any words to reassure you,” he said slowly, turning another page.
And then, for some reason, Chester began laughing out loud, and it was Togore’s turn to stare.
“Fa ha ha! Sorry, but, um, you are so weird sometimes!”
Togore rolled his eyes. As far as he was concerned, Chester did look better already, though perhaps he should stay with him for a little bit longer, just in case; since he was out anyway, chatting with Chester wasn’t really the worst way to spend his day. As such, he landed on her bed near Chester and attempted to give him a kind smile. It’s not like he could have succeeded anyway, but it was worth a try.
More surprised by his actions than anything, Chester continued to stare at him, and honestly Togore grew increasingly annoyed by his reactions: if he really disliked seeing him trying, why wouldn’t he simply say so? Noting his frown, Chester suddenly averted his gaze and mumbled something, leaving two of them in perfect silence. Togore wouldn’t have really minded staying like this for a bit longer, but he reasoned that Chester did need to hear at least something reassuring.
“So… I assume you are doing badly these days?”
Chester slowly turned to him and nodded. “I don’t remember sleeping tonight. Or the night before, ha ha.”
“The same goes for me. Asriel was crying until the morning, and I couldn’t even concentrate on reading, let alone sleeping.”
“He is such a crybaby, yeah!” Chester chuckled. “Maybe he should take a lesson or two from you?”
“Well, maybe then he would stop being so obnoxious.”
His confusion turned to laughter yet again, and Togore didn’t really know how to react at this.
“Why are you laughing so much?” he asked. “Are you happy?”
After a hesitation, Chester shook his head. “No, not really. I’m sad, tired, weak and whatever bad emotions you could think of.”
“I don’t think ‘tired’ is an emotion and neither is ‘weak’.”
“But that’s exactly how I feel,” Chester whispered. He then jumped from her bed and started walking around her room, talking perhaps more to himself than to Togore. “Mom doesn’t want me to help with anything! She doesn’t want me to hand over fliers or travel with her to big cities, and I can’t leave this damned house. She even forbade me from entering her room, like it’s some sort of a grave offense!”
“She probably wants to preserve it for her,” Togore shrugged. “Besides, Dess just disappeared, so it makes sense that she––”
“Like I’d disappear on her!” Chester cried out, his voice breaking.
“Yeah,” Togore nodded after a pause. “I wouldn’t want for you to disappear.”
For some reason, Chester’s face was flushed red, and all of his energy immediately placated. A little bit unsure of any appropriate followup, Togore simply offered to get their fruitcake and, as Chester managed a small nod, left. He pondered for a moment whether they should eat in the kitchen or join their parents in the living room, but faint voices from below drew his attention before he could decide.
“…I don’t disagree in theory, but you should also understand that it’s not like Dess at all,” uncle Rudy’s voice proclaimed, and there was not a trace of his cheerfulness left.
“Believe me, I pray that December ran away not because I see her as such a bad kid,” his mother said cautiously and a bit distantly. “It’s just that the alternative is something I would never wish even on my worst enemy.”
“Look, a lot of things might have happened between us,” uncle Rudy sighed. “But I believe that Dess will come back very soon. And in a few years, that will turn into a funny little story shared before the Christmas night.”
“That is my wish as well, Rudy…”
Togore leaned back from the railings and, taking both plates in his paws, began walking down with deliberately heavy steps. They’ve got his hint luckily and pretended that they were discussing something inconsequential this entire time; it did not evade Togore that they never touched their cake nor their tea.
When he returned after fetching Chester, Noelle was still yet to leave her room, though perhaps that was for the better. As if trying to compensate for the dreadful air, adults flooded them with many completely irrelevant questions about their now-suspended school life and desperately tried to engage them in their conversations that were just as meaningless. Soon enough, uncle Rudy went to check on Noelle, and his mother spent the rest of their supper recalling some funny stories from her classes neither of them appreciated.
In the end, Noelle declined to join them, and that certainly made it harder for uncle Rudy to keep up his façade. Luckily, his mother proved to be rather perceptive and, not a moment too soon, excused them with her sincerest gratitude. Togore said his goodbyes to Chester, but, before he could have approached the front door, he felt someone grabbing his arm.
“Um… Thank you for coming, Togore. I really appreciate it,” Chester muttered.
“It’s nothing. Again, mom’s forced me to come.”
Chester’s gaze drifted to the fruitcakes servings, with Togore’s plate being the only empty one. Then, his hazelnut eyes fixed on Togore, and there was a faint spark of determination peeking through his apathetic sorrow.
“I will not disappear,” Chester said quietly yet firmly. “I will never disappear.”
Togore freed his arm from his pitifully weak grasp, but, instead of letting go completely, he subtly touched Chester’s hand as he nodded slowly.
“Of course not, Chester. That will make me mildly disappointed.”
Chester laughed yet again, but the flame of determination did not quite leave his gaze.