"I wouldn't mind helping him out. We've been doing it together the last few days. It...It would be rude to turn him down now. Don't you agree?"

"I suppose, yes. Um….A-Are you sure you want to...go out in that?"

The farmer glanced down where he was looking, to the leggings she currently wore, understanding what he meant. It would be a little weird for the others to see them, but she'd rather be seen as confident instead of the possibility of them finding out about them anyways and wondering why she never wore them. That wasn't what she was going for. She could be as confident as them. This would be no biggie. She could do this. Seneca would try to be proud of herself and her choices, no matter what they said. It was nerve-wracking to make that decision. She always thought far too much of other's opinions directed to or about her; her appearance, her attitude, her personality, her likes and dislikes, her work. Everything. So what if she enjoyed wearing these things? Couldn't she be happy for herself sometimes?

"I'll wear 'em out. Trust me...it'll...it'll be fine. Heh...I….I can do this…"

Ink gave her a quizzical and somewhat disapproving look, brows furrowed slightly and frowning just a little. He knew what the others would think, knew how they would react. The only one he could trust to not act out was Blue, and that was because the smaller and younger skeleton was a bit too naive and innocent about these things. He was mature, yes, and knew things that most others did as well, but when it came to someone trying to be seductive it went over his head. Every time. Ink wondered how someone could be so knowledgeable yet so….clueless at the same time. It didn't seem possible.

Outside, on the couch, Blue continued to pester Error to knit. To go out and play. To do something besides simply sitting around and staring off at the wall adjacent to them. So far, it proved ineffective. It didn't worsen the destroyer's mood, but Blue was nowhere close to improving it either. His multi-coloured irises narrowed and glanced to the ever vigilant Blue, who grinned widely at being noticed. Error growled to himself, baring his sharp teeth in warning.

"Will you leave me the fuck alone?"

Blue shook his head, still smiling. He knew that the other couldn't do anything to hurt him, as none of their powers seemed to work. Seemingly. He had yet to test them out. Blue hadn't got the chance to spar with anyone, so he saw no reason to practice. He wanted to. It was what Alphys taught him; to practice every day and get stronger. That's how he got to be as strong as he was currently, practicing and dueling and sparing, though being out in the what he would call the "Middle of Nowhere", he didn't have a good way to do so. Maybe Seneca could practice with him! Surely she'd love to do that.

The dark one felt the glitches around him increase in numerosity, signaling that he was uncomfortable with the situation. He glanced away from Blue as the annoyance grew each second he stayed. He felt a compulsion to leave and go somewhere else, except for the fact that there weren't many other places to even go. Just the barn, as he found out while being bored one night and unable to sleep, wandering about outside, and the field that he and the gang stumbled into first teleporting into the au. It felt like an endless sea of boring details he was too tired to even comprehend. While he was grateful to not have to deal with the annoying things, like Ink making pointless aus, he also had the inability to destroy the ones that already existed. That certainly bothered him. Error already hated the au from the start, now with the situation being they couldn't leave, each passing moment became far more painful than the last. How he wanted to grab the Star Sanses and Seneca by their throats, tie them up in webs in his anti-void, take their souls and watch them suffer. Even if Ink lacked one, the skeleton knew how to ruin him in other ways.

"W-Wait, Seneca, maybe you should put something else on!"

"Why? They'll see it at some point."

"I-I...uh…."

Blue gasped very loudly, which made Error flinch from the sudden, high-pitched noise next to him, looking to where the annoying anomaly was staring. His eyes were lit up with blue stars, which surely meant whatever he looked at was very nice. All Error could do was raise his brows a little in slight surprise, watching as Seneca stood in the hallway while Ink tried to convince her to wear something else. Not at all what he was expecting to see. He didn't enjoy it, but he also...sort of did, for some odd reason. He couldn't exactly tell why.

The others hadn't noticed, which he was slightly thankful for, but he did see that Dream saw and his entire face was gold. The guardian quickly hid his face behind the sketchbook he continued to work on, the blush not easing up. Error smirked and let out a soft chuckle of amusement. If he couldn't do what he wanted, he could at the very least see some of the others squirm around in embarrassment. He enjoyed that. Course, he had yet to notice the yellow dust on his own cheekbones, and would have gladly lived on without knowing at all if it weren't for Blue pointing it out to him.

"Error! You're blushing!"

This small outburst coupled with the fact that Blue's voice was fairly loud caught the attention of pretty much everyone within his vicinity. Including his gang, and the attention of Seneca. She blinked and stared at him, not knowing how to react or what to do, and seemingly a bit embarrassed herself. She rubbed her arm and glanced away, her cheeks a deep red. This was definitely a bad first impression for them both.

࿐♡✧♡⃕

"Error? Error? Hey Error, are you alright?"

Ink waved his hand around in front of said skeleton's face, worry fairly apparent in his expression. A good few minutes had passed with Error not moving, his face hidden in his jacket, and it made the creator concerned. He didn't know what to do. Sure, getting the attention of his long-standing rival was always a struggle, but he managed the best he could. It wasn't often opposing sides were able to peacefully, or somewhat peacefully, coexist and coincide at the same time. Ink had yet to tell any of them he could still use his powers. He felt it was necessary to bring up, but didn't think it was important for the time being. Later, he thought to himself. He could tell Dream later.

Error blinked and stirred, then looked up at Ink, first a little confused before it became agitation. He made a motion for Ink to move his hand away, which thankfully he did. The former glanced around to see if Seneca was still out, still wearing that horrid outfit, but his counterpart simply smiled and motioned to a door at the end of the hallway.

"Don't worry. She went and changed after that…um…well, she's not wearing it anymore. Let's keep it at that."

The skeleton lightly chuckled. He knew it was a bad time, but he couldn't help himself. It was a silly situation for Error, of all people, to have been in. It wasn't often something made the glitchy guy blush. Error felt his eye twitch out of annoyance and growing hatred towards everything. How much longer was he to suffer this? How much longer would he be forced to live here, doing nothing but knitting or spacing out? And what was he to do if he ran out of yarn? Error had no backups and couldn't go home. This little excursion of theirs was becoming a horrible vacation. A horrible, horrible vacation. Well, he was relieved about one thing; the fact that he wouldn't have to stare at the human and her disgusting clothes was an up for him. He hated being reminded of Underlust. Or, really, anything related to sexually promiscuous things. It tapped into his fear of being touched, adding on to the fact that all of them were nothing more than anomalies.

"Ah…Seneca is here. To apologize. If you wanna hear it."

He took a second to think. He did wish for an apology, but he also knew that it wouldn't really suffice to fix what had happened. Maybe more than an apology. He could see her be hurt. So the destroyer nodded to Ink, who promptly went over to her, likely saying that Error wished to hear her apology. The one in question noticed that she had, indeed, changed her clothes. Now she was simply wearing what he'd consider sleeping clothes. Long and flowy pants, and a…hand-knit sweater? That caught him off guard. She could knit? He was a little curious now. Curious enough to ask, and he planned the question as she and Ink walked back over to him, the human messing with her fingers as anxiety kicked in. Seneca stopped in front of the dark one with a pathetic expression. She seemed remorseful but he couldn't exactly trust it.

"I…I'm sorry Error. I really am sorry. I hadn't meant to make you do that. If I had known, I wouldn't have done it. I apologize."

She bowed at the waist slightly, an act that surprised both him and Ink, as they were unaware of that custom. They shared a glance of such surprise before looking back to her as she stood back straight. Error sat on the couch with silence the only company he wanted. His eyes bore into Seneca so that it became too much and she avoided his gaze after a few seconds. That seemed to please him a little. His question rang in his head, begging to be asked. It was a better time now than later.

"Do you knit? And before you answer," he added, seeing as she made a motion to speak. "I forgive you…a little. You'll still need to do a lot more for me to forget that."

"I-I do knit, yes. I…I heard from Blue and Ink that you…e-enjoy that?"

He nodded and cast a glance to Ink, who in turn awkwardly clapped his hands, giving a nod of encouragement to Seneca before he left. Error looked back to the girl, seeing her watch as the other left. A small yet noticeable boiling heat rose within him, making him beg for her attention again, wanting it back to him. Even a recluse wanted to be noticed sometimes. Error was no exception to this. He snapped his fingers loudly so she would look back to him, her expression more apologetic and inquisitive than previously.

"I do, yes. I very much enjoy knitting. But I'm almost out of yarn, and it's boring when all I can do around here is knit."

She took a moment to think. On a farm, for her at least, there was always something to do. Cooking, cleaning, feeding the animals, tending to the plants, washing clothes. No end to her chores, it felt. For guests she rarely had things for them to do. Mostly because the guests she did have were her family, and they could always find something to do. They all owned farms. It was rather obvious they'd find a way to be busy. Yet, for someone she just met and hardly knew, other than cooking or sewing or drawing, she hadn't many other ideas. She nodded to him anyways, wanting to have him not be bothered by the boredom anymore. Surely she could find something. Her house was small but full of things. Seneca would find something, surely. Error seemed pleased with her response and waved her away.

As she walked off to find something, Dream and Cross came to her. She was confused greatly. Dream held the sketchbook from earlier, his smile beaming with light and joy, while Cross hung back with a much looser and kinder smile. Her head tilted to the side a little, inquisitive. The two skeletons looked at each other before the former handed her the sketch, presumably done, she judged on just his smile alone that he was proud of what he'd done.

And indeed it was done. The same sketch with all the different additives from the others, along with Nightmare's signature, were enchanted in some way. Made more…realistic, in a sense. Like she could reach in and touch them. It was an impossible feat but she truly saw it that way. Even Nightmare himself had been added, on the other side of Ink, away from Seneca and Dream. This made her somewhat confused. Not enough to question it though. She returned his smile, not as wide, and looked up at the positive guardian. His eyes immediately lit up with stars in excitement and joy that she enjoyed the art.

Cross was also pleased that she liked it. His contributions, along with Horror's, weren't the best until Dream added his wonderful flair. It amazed him sometimes how someone with little to no previous artistic practice could so easily brighten it up and make it better. It was almost like he'd perfected his ability. Not enough to surpass Ink, the literal embodiment of creativity and art, but it was definitely up there. A very close tie for first. Cross waited until Dream calmed down a bit, then lightly put his hand on the other's shoulder, a quiet signal that he wished for it to be his turn. Dream turned and gave a smile with a nod, looking back to Seneca.

"So…we were looking at your calendar and..saw that today was your birthday. Surprised you didn't mention it."

Seneca felt her smile falter and, for a few seconds, her eyes darted around the room with anxiety. Thankfully the two were patient and willing to wait for her. She appreciated that quite a bit. It took a minute or so for her to regain herself enough, looking back at them, grateful they didn't rush her. She explained to them in a soft voice why she'd prefer to keep it a secret for the moment, at least until she was finished with Error. They nodded, saying she could keep the sketch, then headed off to do their own things. The girl felt compelled to thank them in some way. Before they got too far away she gave both of them a gentle hug, to which Dream reciprocated immediately while Cross took a moment to process. It was a huge step in her trusting all of them. They were both thankful for the opportunity.

Soon she was back on the couch with Error, showing him a neat little card game conveniently called 'Trash'. He was confused but played along. Was better than doing nothing at least. She put ten cards near him, face down on the cushion, then did the same in front of her. Him being curious and confused he picked one of his up and made a move to flip it over.

"Nono, keep it face down. You'll understand why really quickly. I promise."

She spoke quickly, telling him right away to listen. So he did. The card went back as it was and he looked up at her expectantly. His mismatched eyelights once again bore into her, making her anxious, not knowing what to do. She avoided looking at him and tried to explain in a way he may understand. Not overly baby-ish but not like he knew how to do it either. Somewhere in-between.

"So ..the way it works is you take a card from the pile, then try to match the number on it to the one in your…um….deck. Let's call it that. Ah…if you get a King, Queen, Joker, or anything like that you skip a turn…what else…"

Her finger tapped her chin as she thought. Would he understand that? Seneca felt her brows furrow to concentrate easier. Maybe she should show him. That might help to tell what he could and could not do. She picked a card from the deck and flipped it over, seeing an Ace of Diamonds. The suit didn't matter too much. She knew it never did. So long as it had the number, it would be fine. Her eye scanned over before she found the spot for 1, then she swapped the cards, looking to the one that had previously occupied that place. Simple 5. She did the same as before, only this time ending up with a King. That she put in the discarded pile as it was no use to her. She looked up at Error with a bit of pride, hoping he understood.

He gave no real inclination that he was even paying attention. Seneca wondered if maybe he'd spaced out again and was about to try and jostle him, however he moved on his own and copied her behaviour. Picking a card, swapping them for the right place, and continuing until he got one that didn't work. His eyes studied what he had before looking up at her. It was an expression she knew too well. He may not enjoy what they were doing, but he found it a little fun.

࿐♡✧♡⃕

Soon enough it was time for her and Horror to make the food, which took no time at all. Though he barely spoke, she enjoyed their bits of chatter. Seneca was patient and let him take his time with it. She let him set the pace for everything. Once it was over he gave her a rare smile, the kind that melted her heart more than it already was from the others. She couldn't help smiling back to him, practically overwhelmed with positivity, to a point she may consider it toxic. She wasn't a naturally positive person. It wasn't exactly her thing. She knew that, soon, she would have a major crash and everything would feel horrible. Such was life for her. Not that she minded. It never lasted long. She'd be fine.

The group ate and chatted amongst themselves, a lovely ending to a somewhat lovely day. She was still very wary of Nightmare and Killer, which contributed to her staying very close to Dream. Though he was a bit confused, he didn't mind, and gladly stayed by her side the rest of the time. Nightmare caught wind of this and his singular eye twitched. He wanted Seneca to be near him. Though to most it would seem he was simply stating Dream down for the simple positive and negative auras clashing, Killer could tell right away that it went much deeper than that. He loathed it greatly. While he wouldn't act out, he felt a growing urge to slice Seneca's throat open with his knife. It was a battleground within their minds that they seemed unaware of, truly.

After dinner, Seneca was about to head to her room, yet was stopped by Cross. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to be confident yet waning just like everything else. He cleared his throat softly, offering his free hand in a gentlemanly way as taught to him by Dream. He wasn't sure why Dream suggested he do this, but Cross wasn't one to turn down an opportunity. It could lead to something good. Or something bad. He needed to take it in stride and be wary, keep his guard up just in case.

He could notice her cheeks beginning to warm up from being offered a hand. She was hesitant, her own shaking and hovering for a moment, then gently joined his. He led her to the guest room with the lights being off as usual. They rarely used it, and she felt no need to keep the candles lit up otherwise. No hesitation was needed before Cross closed the door behind them, leading her to the bed, her eyes adjusting to the dark from the setting sun outside. It's glowing deep oranges and purples cast an oddly romantic glow upon the area around them. It made her just the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Cross had her sit on the bed, and he soon joined her, smiling to try and ease the tension he could both see and feel in her body. Her hand was shaking far more than before, her legs seemed to be locked up, and she couldn't hardly focus on looking at him. With his free hand, he grabbed her chin and tilted it up so they could lock gazes. Her cheeks heated up far more than before. She didn't know what to expect. Would he do what she was expecting, or surprise her with something completely different?

"I know you said you don't wish to have it be celebrated. What would be the point if no-one visited, right? Well…we're here. We're all here and we want you to be happy. In whatever way you can be, Seneca. Trust us. Trust me. Trust Dream, even. He wanted to plan so much for you."

"...it's…too late now…but maybe next time? There's going to be a next time. I'm sure of it. Next time you, and Dream, and Ink and Blue, and everyone can plan the best party I've ever had. Does that work?"

Cross nodded and leaned forward, enveloping her in a warm and tight hug, to which she was more than eager to accept. It felt nice to have someone to care for her. She lived so far out that it was so rare someone decided to visit her. And when they did, she knew they wouldn't stay. A vicious cycle of getting close and having that privilege ripped away again and again. Her heart couldn't take much more of it. Seneca felt his hands slowly rub her back and it made her relax in his grip, eyes barely able to stay open, wanting so desperately to close and give in to sleep. That was until she felt something press against her cheek. Warm yet not wet. It took a moment for her to register what it was.

"O-Oh…I…I am so sorry, Seneca. I wasn't thinking straight. I'm so sorry."

Cross quickly pulled from the hug, his face a deep purple, clearly embarrassed and ashamed about what he'd done. He hid his face behind his hands and waited for the ridicule. However, Seneca simply sat there, gently holding her cheek, feeling heat rising to her own in surprise. He kissed her cheek. She hadn't ever had that happen before. At least not normally. The last time it happened was a while ago, a long long while ago. Her heart was beating hard in her chest, ringing in her ears, processing all that had happened.

"......I…..um….I….I need…time to think about this…"

Though she refused to have him leave, as she quickly put her hands to his shoulders to keep him to the bed. It wouldn't take her long to think of what happened. Likely a minute, maybe two. She could feel him shaking underneath her. It was a horrible feeling to feel just from him, as she knew he'd be on himself for feeling and acting this way. Hounding and cursing his actions for days, perhaps even weeks to come. She patiently waited for him to calm down, then eased her hold off slowly, wondering what to do or say. Her feelings were too scrambled to interpret what she could consider as romantic towards him.

After some time, Dream knocked on the door gently, the sudden increase of worry and anxiousness surprising him. He was concerned about what was going on. His soft voice rang out loud enough for the two to hear, and Cross uncovered his face to glance at the door, the same as Seneca was doing.

"Is everything ok in there?"