Guiltale

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Careless Whisper

"We can be a little selfish with another lost cause, huh?"

Chara smiled, seeming to almost tear up as she threw her arms around me. After a moment, she backed off, looking at her hands in surprise.

"You're really warm, you know that? Does that always happen when you use magic?"

"Oui, always." Smiling, I released Chara from the hug. I groaned, letting go of Chara's SOUL as I continued. "It really is that exhausting – and painful, too."

I rubbed my left arm with my right (I had to switch arms so I could shake her right hand with mine). It didn't hurt as bad with that one, which made me suspicious of my magic overload injury's permanent effects. I turned to my backpack and checked the contents.

>♥ Item
Stat
Cell
Grace
LV 1
HP 15/28
AT 14(0) EXP: 0
DF 0(11) NEXT: 10
WEAPON: (Magic) N/A
ARMOR: Hand-Me-Down Raincoat
GOLD: 362
♥Trail Mix
Granola Bar
Bicicle
Magicin (28)
Spritus Digoxin (26)
Animanitrate (18)
Crème Brûlée

I scowled, turning to see the barely concealed pile of mush that used to be Cinnamon Bunnies tucked behind a glowing mushroom.

"I did... I couldn-"

"I understand, don't worry about it." I sighed, hiding my disappointment. "It was bound to happen here, anyway..."

Chara thought for a moment. "Well, supposedly there are places to get food here but I haven't seen or heard of many... and two of the ones I know about are underwater so..."

"No can do them, then." I replied. Zipping up my pack, I went to give the hidey hole one last investigation before I truly left it behind. There wasn't much to see, except one thing that I really should've noticed before, even in the frazzled and terrified state I was in.

"Is... that...?"

Leaning next to the wall, there lay a dingy tutu. Its color had faded a lot, but I could tell it was supposed to be pink. I knelt down, running my hands over the tulle with unfocused eyes.

"What is that? Une jupe ?" Chara peeked over my shoulder, squinting. "Pour... un bébé?"

I picked it up delicately, noting many rips and snags in the fabric that couldn't have happened just from it sitting here. I furrowed my brows, rubbing the hem between my fingers.

I stopped.

There, underneath my fingers and seeping into the waistband...

...was a stain.

It was dry as a bone, but I recognized the color...

And the smell.

I cringed, losing my train of thought. My chest felt heavy as I placed it back on the ground.

"Wait, wouldn't that count as armour? Why don't you take it?" Chara scolded... before noticing the blood. "oh. Well, still..."

I shook my head. "no." I said in purposeful lowercase.

"Why not?"

I stared at it, trying to imagine why I would take it at all.

"...wouldn't fit..." I averted Chara's pointed gaze, then looked at the tutu again. It looked so lonely, probably one of the last things left of the little girl who wore it.

I'd missed something; on the waistband there was a ragged and faded tag that told me it was for a size 10/12. Scribbled messily on top of it in black marker was the name 'Lizzy', with a heart for the tittle, colored in with a darker pink than the tutu itself. I swallowed. Slowly, I pulled myself to my feet, saying a quiet prayer for 'Lizzy' as I gave the article one last look. Chara looked fairly confused, but I ignored her when she tried to get my attention, pulling my hood back up to pass through the waterfall one last time.