Above. A black abyss. So dark you couldn't see. Even the bits of mist couldn't light a way. It felt cold and static. Would anything be able to change? It was so devoid of light, almost like she'd never be able to see anything again. But she knew she would. She knew what she was doing outside, close and under the ever darkening sky, filled with nothing but a blanket of shadow. How could one describe this feeling? How could one say they enjoy being alone, dedicated to their thoughts, complete with silence and darkness? How could they ever say such things soothed them? She had a hard time saying so herself. No-one very well knew why she would spend so much time out during the starlight, gazing up at them as if something were to happen. The nights wasted to catch a glimpse. The days she spent sleeping in, hoping to stay up just a few minutes longer. She knew she could find it. She knew she'd be able to see it if she got a chance. If she stayed out just a little longer. They'd be able to see it. Everyone would be able to. They'd know she wasn't crazy.

Seneca snapped from her daydream as a hand was put on her shoulder. It made her jump a little from the sudden touch, not enough to scream or gasp, yet it was obvious she was spooked. Had she been that focused on her thoughts that she couldn't even hear people? Surely, she thought, they weren't talking. Her eyes stared at the reins she held in her hands. Her fingers curled around it, trying to steady what little resolve she had left. Perhaps they had been speaking. Only one way to find out. She took a breath and looked over to see Ink, who had a rather concerned expression on his face. Looking past him she could see the sun slowly wilting over the horizon. Seneca had been far too involved with the thoughts. She lost track of time and neglected to do anything. How long had she even been standing there?

"Are you alright, Seneca? You seem a little preoccupied. Is something wrong?"

Ink was most definitely worried for her. This didn't seem normal. Course, neither was he. A being able to survive without a soul. The only emotions he felt were from paint vials. Subjected to torture by the hands of Error at times. It was maddening. Yet, somehow, he was still standing and better than ever. Ink hoped to bring that same sense of accomplishment to Seneca. He'd help her all he could before he, Dream, and Blue left. He didn't know if they'd get the chance to go back at all. So, in case it wouldn't happen, he wanted to make sure she'd be ok. It was so odd, to have the urge to keep her safe. It wasn't like him. Most times Ink was less than caring about others. They weren't real, like him. Just a set of code. But Seneca was different, somehow. He couldn't figure out why.

"Y-Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me too much, Ink. I'll be ok."

Her head tilted to the side, to try and catch a glimpse of the other two, but it seemed they already went inside. Unfortunate. She'd wanted to spend a little more time with them outside. She wanted to show them the beauty of the nighttime.

A sudden smell washed away her thoughts and replaced them with the reminder of her hunger. The scent alone was enough to make her stomach give a light growl. She'd hardly eaten that day, too occupied with her farming and the sudden appearance of all these new characters. It was a nice feeling, to finally rest after a long, hard day. Tomorrow she'd need to go out and check the wheat, to see if it was good for harvesting yet. Not all of it was and she wasn't going to kill the green stalks before they had a chance to mature. It was both wasteful and idiotic. Ink seemed to have heard her stomach and held back a chuckle, albeit poorly. He found it funny, and kind of adorable.

Ink took Seneca's hand gently, then eased the reins out, putting them on the hook by the stall door. When he looked back he saw her staring at him, dumbfounded most likely, with the deepest blush he'd ever seen on anyone. It only added to the fact of him finding her adorable. So utterly adorable. She stuttered for a moment, then glanced away. He decided she was very embarrassed by the situation. He didn't want her to have that sort of emotion around him. He may not be as caring as Dream, or able to read their emotions as well as Blue, but Ink could do something that they couldn't; Ink wouldn't consider it much of a superpower, yet it wasn't something most others had either.

He took out his paintbrush and channeled his magic into it. The tip he put on the ground as a single dot. Then he brought it back up, returning it to the hold on his back. Almost immediately a beautiful carnation sprouted from the ground, coloured in the most magnificent shades, almost like a rainbow. Each petal was a different hint, a separate hue, a unique glow. A spectre. Ink bent down and gently picked it, the flower being able to stay alive thanks to his magic, and stood back up with a smile toward Seneca. She seemed to not understand what he was doing, so he wasted no time putting the flower in her hair. This made her blush even deeper. So incredibly deep. She couldn't handle it well. It made her want to cover her face from the embarrassment. He stopped her advances however and eased her hands to her sides.

"C'mon, Seneca. You need to be more confident in yourself. Embrace it."

She avoided his gaze to instead look at the floor. So many thoughts raced through her head. Was she doing the right thing? Was this ok? It didn't feel good, yet at the same time, it did. Almost like she should move forward with it. Something within her ached to, to push the boundaries and get closer to him. But her anxiety wouldn't let her. She couldn't, and wouldn't, dare to do that to him. To anyone, for that matter. Forming something like that felt so wrong, and a bit hurtful to the others. She didn't want to be exclusive. Not yet. Seneca preferred to have her say in who she wanted. So far, Dream was pretty high on the list, and it seemed Ink was slowly working his way up as well. She heard a small laugh and looked up to find Petunia attempting to eat Ink's scarf. The girl giggled to herself as he tried to get the horse off without seeming rude or harsh. This was nice.

A few minutes passed and she and Ink were finally able to go back in the house. The smell was heavenly and everyone seemed to think so. They had gathered at her kitchen table, either sitting or standing, and chatted about random things. Ink went and joined them while making sure Seneca followed.

They both grabbed a plate and got some of the supper as well. The first bite Seneca took was incredible. She practically almost melted at the spot. Her dark eyes looked to Horror with interest. She wondered if he was an experienced cook, though she'd say he was either way. The spread was far better than she'd ever made just on her own. It wasn't just him making it, she had as well, but she wanted to make sure he knew. She never got the chance, however, as a dark appendage blocked her path. It dripped with some sort of goopy substance, was too thick to simply move under or over, and she wouldn't touch it in fear of what may happen. The drop in temperature next to her gave a hint as to who was wanting to speak with her.

Ink gave Nightmare a quizzical gaze and made a motion to protest.

"Nightmare, I know you just woke up, but that is not the way to greet someone."

The one in question turned to Ink, the singular cyan orb boring into his non-existent soul, showing that the elder wouldn't back down. He didn't speak. His negative aura spoke enough to make the artist leave, giving an apologetic glance to Seneca. She was confused and scared for her well-being. Nightmare turned back to her then gestured with his head that he wished for her to follow him, the tentacle retreating to his back. She was unsure what to do. It gave her chills just to be around him. She very quickly decided to follow as she didn't wish to risk getting yelled at.

Killer and Cross watched from the table. They were both not understanding what their boss was doing. Dust didn't care too much, Error was busy knitting, and Horror was just enjoying the meal. It felt too surreal to both Killer and Cross to be dealing with this. Once Nightmare and Seneca left, Killer made sure his boss was out of earshot before elbowing his companion in the ribs. It didn't cause much of a reaction other than Cross humming.

"Boss is gonna get laid."

Cross stopped mid-bite and looked to Killer with a dumbfounded expression. This prompted the latter to raise his hands up and shrug, smiling to himself, obviously feeling very accomplished with himself.

"What?"

☪⋆✦⁺

Nightmare closed the door once he and Seneca were both in the guest room. It was quaint and quiet, just how he liked it. Also, very dark with the curtain being closed and no outside lights filtered in. This made it difficult for the girl to see, so she felt around until she could find a small candle, then immediately set it back down as she remembered she didn't carry matches everywhere she went. The last time she did that it ended in complete catastrophe. It was going to be difficult to do much of anything with the room being as dark as it was. Her night vision was good, but not very. She needed to have some sort of light.

"Nightmare? Are you ok? I-I can't see-"

Her sentence was cut short by the sudden flash of light. It was blinding and succeeded in blinding her for a good few seconds. Her eyes blinked very quickly to try and gain her vision back. Once she did, she saw him standing exceptionally close to her, holding a candle alit with a small fire. It illuminated his dark and brooding features. He may be harmed by light, but the soft glow of a candle wouldn't do anything. Nightmare would be more than fine with the situation. He had candles around his castle so the others were able to see, and sometimes even in his office if the papers were too hard to read.

He set it down on the table beside the bed, then sat on the comforter, so tall and large his feet touched the floor. He noticed Seneca simply standing with a confused glance. The skeleton grumbled to himself and motioned for her to join him on the bed, to which she did, though a bit of ways away from him to not make him uncomfortable. Her head tilted to the side with a little bit of curiosity as to what he was wanting. Nightmare felt her gaze and glanced over in her direction. His right eye being missed meant he couldn't see her too well, but he was able to make out the basics. The one thing that stood out to him were her eyes. He rarely met many from aus, much less separate multiverses, with dark eyes. Those who did have them were usually considered evil. Killer was a prime example. Nightmare wasn't usually one for complimenting people, it was a disgusting positive emotion he'd rather not experience or give to others, but he'd let it slide just this one time.

"....why did you help me?"

Seneca could already tell from his tone that he was doing much better than previously. It was deep, rough, and had a hint of malicious intent. The kind that would send most running away. Even her own senses were sending her messages of red alert, that this wasn't safe. But she didn't care one bit. The girl actually quite enjoyed it. As much as she liked Dream, Ink, and Blue, she needed a small break from their gentle natures and soft voices. It wasn't that she disliked it, she very much did. Yet there was a part of her soul that wanted to hear the deep growl, the rough yet gentle sound, to feel it whispering in her ear…

Her thoughts had ran away yet again and caused her to blush up a storm. She knew this would confuse Nightmare, possibly even disgust him. So she looked away and took a breath to steady herself, hoping to keep herself calm enough to talk and answer his question.

"Well...I felt like you were in trouble. And...is it so wrong to want to help someone? Am I wrong for wanting that? I may not know you, but I care about you….I don't know why…"

"...mm….and….you're not afraid of me?"

"Oh, goodness no," She looked to him with surprise. She hadn't expected him to say something like that. "I'm not frightened at all. You may make me feel a little tense, but I'm not afraid."

Less than a second passed before she was thrown fairly roughly against the bed. One tentacle held her hands, straining them above her head so she couldn't use them, while another wrapped firmly around her waist to keep her grounded. Nightmare seemed unfazed and gave her a chilling smirk that made her body tense up and stiffen. Again and again her senses told her that she was in danger. Seneca refused to believe it, yet they continued, only getting worse when the skeleton lifted her up off the bed. The tentacle that pulled her hands continued to do so, while the one around her waist pulled the opposite direction. This caused her massive amounts of pain.

"How about now? Are you scared? Terrified? Are you going to cry and yell for help?"

She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. It was painful. So very, very painful. She could feel as, although it was slow, her muscles were being strained. The bones threatened to pop from the stimulation. Her skin, she feared, would start to tear and bleed if he didn't stop. She felt honesty would be the best right now, though he wouldn't want to hear it.

"N-No...I am not...af-fraid...at a-all...I'm not afraid of y-you…"

His eye narrowed in what she could only assume was disappointment. The pulling kept going until she felt the need to cry out. It was unbearable and painful. The worst part of it was that she had no ways of defending herself. For no reason she felt it ease and he very unceremoniously dropped her to the floor. His tentacles receeded to his back, continuing to look at her with disdain. He could see her form shaking as she grasped her arms, panting and shivering from the pain. Nightmare normally would move on and leave her be, however something compelled him to stay. He felt an urge to try and help her. It was pitiful, to see her in such a state, yet not pathetic. He didn't know why he was feeling this way. He walked over to her at a slow pace.

Seneca noticed and shrunk back a little, worried he would do it again. It was surprising when he instead knelt down next to her and gave, supposedly, a sympathetic expression. She couldn't tell. Her vision was blurred by tears of pain. She felt him touch her shoulder and flinched a little, though he didn't pull away. There was a moment of her not being sure if he'd even keep her alive. Scared. She was scared. It lasted only a moment, as a feeling of warmth rushed through her body. It wasn't a normal warmth. This was the kind she'd feel after being in the sun all day, or taking a hot bath. The kind of warmth that ran through her whole body.

"There. You're healed. Now stop crying."

His voice had deepened somehow, whispering to her. It was careful to chose the words in her weakened state. Not physically anymore, but mentally. He had probably scarred her for a while. Nightmare didn't regret it at all. He was just letting out his frustrations, the pent up feelings for his situation. That's what he told himself.

It took a good few minutes for her to calm down and sit up. The tight grip he'd kept on her wrists and waist left deep bruising, as did the pulling. There were what looked like scratch marks along her arms. Thankfully her shirt had sleeves long enough to hide them, and was long enough to conceal her waist. As long as no-one asked to take it off or saw her without the shirt, she should be fine. Seneca wiped her eyes to get rid of the tear stains. She was glad those wouldn't stay till morning. With luck, she may be able to lose them by the time she went to bed. To her surprise, the skeleton stayed right by her side. He didn't leave for any reason. Not even when she looked at him with eyes of skepticism. She wanted to trust that he wouldn't do this again. Nightmare seemed to get the hint and sighed while glancing away.

"....if you expect me to apologize, you've got another thing coming. You don't deserve that."

"...then...why did you heal me…?"

No response.

Seneca took that as a hint to not ask anymore. She may have already done too much asking that question. It would have to remain unanswered within her mind, among other things. She fixed her shirt so nothing was visible, then stood up and began to walk outside. Her hand rested on the door knob. Hesitating. She didn't want him to think that she disliked him. Yes, he caused her pain, but maybe he had a reason for it. She turned to Nightmare, who'd stood up as well and was making his way to turn out the candle. From his slight shambling she assumed he felt a little bad for doing that to her. Seneca took a breath and spoke a bit more confidently this time.

"If you wish, we can go look at the stars...it's always a nice clear night out here. You can see for miles."

☪⋆✦⁺

Coaxing and slow moving was what they needed. He was surprised she wanted to spend time with him after what he'd done. The comments from Killer almost made him kill the annoying man, but Seneca convinced him to let it go for now. This only made the teasing worse. It got on Dust and Error's nerves as they both soon shut him up with a good wack to the head. One was bad enough, but both of them ganging up on him like that, well, Killer was less than amused. He attacked both of them, a slow uphill climb to a standard fight between the group, excluding Horror. He was busy washing dishes and putting away the leftovers. Dream, Ink, and Blue tried to calm them down so they didn't break anything that belonged to Seneca.

While that occured, her and Nightmare made their way outside. It was dark and cold, broke only by the warm light inside her house, and the dim glow from the stars. It would be difficult to see them from the field, so she had prepared for such an activity. She motioned for him to follow her, and she made her way to the side of her house, which shown a hidden staircase. They climbed it to the rooftop, then sat on it.

It was a clear, unobstructed view of the night sky. Not even the house light was visible from where they were seated. Nightmare was impressed, just a little bit. He brought his knees to his chest and rested his arms on top of them to make it more comfortable. It felt incredible to have this opportunity. He'd never admit it, but he enjoyed stargazing at times, as he felt it was one of the few times he could relax and not worry about his life. He felt a hand to his shoulder and looked to Seneca. His bone brow raised, wanting to know what had caused her to touch him. He may not have such a fear of it like Error, but it still bothered him. He noticed her pointing right above them. Nightmare tilted his head some before looking above them.

There, in all it's glory, was the moon. He wasn't too surprised to see it, yet noticed she was. He stared for a moment longer, then over at her, wondering why it was such a big deal.

"Have you ever seen the moon before?"

Seneca shook her head. She hadn't ever. She didn't know if it was some sort of magic or just bad coincidences. This was her first time ever laying eyes upon it. Which said a lot, as she was always outside during the nighttime, looking above to hopefully catch a glimpse. Now that she had, it was far more beautiful than she'd ever imagined. Gorgeous. Amazing. Spectacular. Her eyes were fixated on it so much she didn't feel Nightmare touch her. His tentacle wrapped snuggly around her waist and brought her close enough to lean on his shoulder, to which she did.

"...I thought it was only a fairytale...I...I've never seen it before...it's so beautiful…"

Her voice was soft and full of emotion. She was almost worried she would cry again. Nightmare was even more confused on her saying she'd never seen the moon. Was this multiverse that different than all the others? Surely it had existed before. It was sort of required for some species to exist. He was going to ask before she grabbed his arm, smiling and staring at the moon. It was a wistful gaze. The only other time he'd seen that look was when people saw Dream's apples. Full of wonder and joy, wanting to enjoy it forever.

He didn't push her away nor pull her in. It may be contradictory to his personality, and even he was confused on why he was acting this way. Normally he'd try to disappear, to leave and never go back. Perhaps she reminded him too much of himself. Both him and the body he occupied. Nightmare continued to stargaze as the night chill settled in around them. It was peaceful and calm. He enjoyed the slow pace compared to his normal life. Soon enough he felt her weight increase against his body and looked over to see if she was ok. Her eyes were closed, and she breathed softly. He pieced together that she was asleep.

It was adorable, in a sense. He summoned a blanket and covered Seneca with it, to which she snuggled more against him. On instinct he felt repulsed and made an attempt to pull away. Her hold may be weak, but it was still rather firm, and he didn't feel like dealing with her possibly crying again should he wake her up. So, against his own will, he stayed put. He didn't want to. It disgusted him. Nightmare looked up at the moon again, noting how it was rather large. Large than most he'd seen in other aus. Even Outertale. He sighed and glanced over to Seneca, and for the first time in his life…

He smiled happily.