Susie tried her best to not laugh at the 'expletive'. "Nah, you were pretty much out cold by then, must've dreamt it up or something. You kept saying you were scared of her catching us as we dragged you to the manor, when you weren't busy trying to make Christmas-themed puns with Kris."
Noelle paused, trying to remember the details of that evening. Most of it was still hazy, but the memory of Kris and Susie helping her get through the gates had resurfaced. She chose to not remember what the punchline to the "Christmas Cracker" joke was when Kris was laying her in bed. She clearly remembered asking them for water before she fell asleep, so they must've...
Susie tucked her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "...Kris took a while to get out, though. Not sure what took them so long, but I definitely didn't hear any shouting. We should probably get going, though. I think Kris' mom is starting her speech."
Noelle relaxed her shoulders and nodded, giving Susie a little peck on the cheek before grabbing hold of her arm, the couple joining the crowd of parents, grandparents and ex-students, each dressed according to what their generation considered to be the style nowadays. The two quickly merged with the rabble, becoming just another pair of eyes that were focused on the head goat.
Toriel walked up to the decorated podium, wearing her usual work dress, which somehow looked much more festive than usual, a silver brooch in the shape of a flower pinned to her collar. The whole front of the school was plastered in posters drawn by the students, most of them covered with hidden inside jokes and memes that most of the teachers didn't understand, despite Alphys' best efforts. Her speech was passionate, if not a little drawn out. The kind you'd easily be able to fall asleep to, were it not for the aching in your legs from standing in place for too long.
Though not participating in any official capacity, Asgore stood firmly next to Officer Undyne, both of them overlooking the crowd and quietly exchanging stories about the misbehaving kids they had to deal with in their own time. He held out a thermos with two metal cups, carefully filling one with fresh tea before handing it to Undyne. She was watching the crowd, like him, but didn't seem to notice the giant hand obscuring her vision. Asgore turned to her, wanting to get her attention, when his gentle eyes locked on the fabric patch covering her left eye. Of course. How could he forget? He gently nudged her side, which jolted her awake. She turned to ask if he had spotted something suspicious, perhaps a thief sneaking into the school, or kids causing trouble, before letting out a snort at the sight of the cup. She took it with both hands, taking in the scent, as they continued talking.
She spoke with a toothy grin, her raspy voice clearly heard through all the noise. "Wow, Asgore, I hope you brought enough for the whole class." She held the cup up to her lips, watching the tall monster attempt to stifle his laughter.
"Ho ho! You're not gonna snitch on me, are you?" Now it was her turn to laugh, quickly pulling the metal cup away from her mouth, before gently shoving Asgore in the side. "I won't say anything if you won't," she replied, before finally taking a sip of the scalding hot liquid. They took turns quietly drinking the tea, each peering out into the crowd, looking for the people they cared about the most. The yearly assembly was the highlight of both their months, regardless of how boring it actually was. Anything was better than digging through cold cases.
Asgore spoke quietly, with his usual, unmistakable warmth: "How have you been, dear?" Undyne could only smile, looking at the lineup of teachers next to Toriel as she spoke. "Better each day, thanks to her. It's been a wild couple of months, let me tell you! Last week she—" Undyne turned around to face Asgore. Despite all the softness of his deep voice, his eyes could not betray the sadness and regret behind them. Undyne's smile quickly faded. "God... Asgore, please, don't start this again. Not right now. Not in front of—"
"No, no, it's alright. I promise," he replied, stretching out his hand to refill her cup, "I've accepted this reality a long time ago. It's... Kris, that worries me now." He slowly put the thermos down and grabbed the cup with both hands, staring into the amber liquid. "Their friends have grown so much. I see them talking, playing, laughing again. But I cannot shake this feeling..." Undyne put her hand on his shoulder as the tall monster continued, now looking up at the podium some distance away, "She sees it too. She's trying her best, but she can't coddle them all the time anymore, nor can I keep an eye on them everywhere they go."
Undyne quietly stood beside him, rubbing his shoulder down with a drawn out sigh. "You've been through this before, right? Your kid's growing up in front of your eyes again. I know Asriel's been much easier on you, but... I'm confident they'll figure it out." As much as she didn't want to imply Kris was a problem child, she still remembered when he had to put foam tubes on Asriel's horns so he wouldn't destroy the furniture, and called that the worst moment of his life. "They wouldn't be out there still thrashing pizzerias if something was up."
Asgore's grim face softened, relaxing into a soft smile. the crowd before them soon erupted with applause as Toriel finished her speech. Undyne raised her cup to join the celebration, before nudging Asgore to look up at his ex. The moment she stepped behind the podium, her expression switched to one of concern, staring both of them down with a silent plea. "Hey, let's go. I think something's up."
