After the barrier had been broken and harmony between monsters and humans had returned, a new sinister force arises after peace returned to the land. When the darkness threatens to destroy a pair of brothers and the very society they rescued and fre...
A rich, gentle aroma floats out of a store titled "Ebott Coffee Bean Co." A thin female reindeer of average height is one of the day's first customers. She wears a green and red checkered shirt paired with a dark blue skirt. Her red nose glows in the sun as she opens the door for her father, who stands behind her. He wears a plain white shirt with a bright blue jacket over the top. His black hair gently sways in the wind, and his complexion is bright and cheery.
"You go first, Dad," the young reindeer says as she bows, holding the door.
"Thank you, Noelle. But you don't need to be so formal," Rudy says.
He shrugs as he walks into the coffee shop. Noelle blushes and rubs her cheeks. "I know, Dad. But I wanna help you in any little way I can, especially with, well..."
Noelle's face falls. Rudy turns around, smiles, and gently rubs his daughter's back. "Noelle, I'm fine now. And the police are searching." Noelle continues to stare at the ground, and a pair of tears appear in her eyes. Rudy hugs his child more tightly. "We can't give up. We'll find Dess, I'm sure of it."
Noelle nods and dries her eyes. "As soon as the homicide rate increased, Dess disappeared." Noelle's voice still trembles. "And we just got you out of the hospital. It's like...I..." She sighs. "You just finished your chemo, but now my sister's missing. I'm in a never-ending maze."
Rudy bites his lip, and his hands tremble as he holds onto his younger daughter. "I'm scared stiff, too. But we can't lose hope." He closes his eyes, sighs deeply, and walks up to the counter. "Noelle, please grab a table for us. I will purchase our food and beverage."
Noelle glances up at her father again; his arms tremble. After a few moments, though, he stiffens his posture. While he approaches the counter, Noelle nods and has a seat at the closest table to her. She stares out the window, listening to her father's conversation at the counter. "Rudy! Congrats on the cancer remission," one of the baristas says.
"Heh, thanks. It was pretty touch-and-go, but I'm still kickin'!" Rudy exclaims with jubilee in his voice.
Noelle smiles softly and taps her finger on the table. (At least Dad is still with us. But where is my sister? There has to be something...right? Some clues? Rumors? Anything?) She stops peering out the window and lowers her head to the table. (So many sleepless nights in a row. I can't take this much longer. How does Dad deal with it...if he even is?)
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From across the restaurant sit, two officers decked out in their gear. They have a few papers on the table and sip intensely on their coffee. "Harlow, do you have any leads on the missing monsters?" Sterling asks.
"A bit, ma'am. The top suspect looks more like a teenager named 'Kris Delta.'" Harlow regards his superior, rubbing his chin. "Two vegetoids and an ice cap were among the deceased. And we still have to locate Dess Holiday."
Sterling nods. "At least Undyne gave us that file copy and was very helpful in giving us details on this person. Now we have more hardline evidence to issue an arrest warrant."
