"This wasn't what I had in mind when you asked if we could hang out Dream," I state as I stare at the picnic laid out by Dream, who is now spilling deserts all over the blanket. I can tell he tried to cook it himself since it seems more edible than the one Blue, one of his friends, could bake. Although it is still a bit charred. 

Dream, embarrassed at the whole situation, quickly tries to salvage the muffins that weren't rolling down the hillside and onto the grass. Why he chose to picnic at the top of a hill, I am unsure. But he did well in placing the picnic underneath a tree, shading us from some of the sun's rays. Still...this wasn't how I envisioned our first truce hang-out to be.

It's been a whole month since Ink was released from prison, and it's only now that Dream and I worked enough courage to try and rekindle our broken bond. Well, it wasn't actually by my choice, Error, a friend I consider to be my sister but never actually told anyone flat out...Reaper doesn't count...kept insisting that I work out my problems and not avoid them any longer. Easier said than done. I know Dream is a good guy, but I still hold onto grudges. It's well that I've calmed down.

"S-sorry about that Nightmare, it seems I'm just nervous. This is our first hang-out after all, and I was hoping to make it a comfortable experience." Dream says as he rubs the dirt off the last muffin and places it back into the basket. He should have just kept it inside the basket.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Let's just get this over with already." I say as I sit down. Dream follows, laughing a nervous laugh. Did I say something funny?

As we sit down, silence engulfs us...I'm not sure what to do now. I glance at Dream, he doesn't know what to do as well. I can see him fidgeting his fingers as he blinks slowly, still keeping a smile on his face. I just don't understand how he is so happy at this moment, all I did was sit down. What's there to be excited about?

I frown, somewhat, but quickly change back to my neutral expression. Error told me before that when I'm going to hang out with Dream, to make sure I don't frown because that would be considered rude. Still, I can't help but sigh. She knows that Dream and I can sense emotions, so what's the point in not expressing it? But since Error said so, I'll listen to her.

"So...how have you been?" Dream asks, being the first to break the silence. I glance at his hands, noticing a small piece of paper sticking out from it. Seems he had the same idea as me, write down questions to ask in case we can't come up with ones ourselves. I won't comment on it though.

"I've been well, was watching UnderTale. Something interesting finally happened. What about you? How have you been since leaving that guard station?" I asked. I still don't understand why Dream chose to become the guard to watch over Ink. Perhaps he still considers that squid to be his friend, despite all he has done.

"Oh! I took a job in daycare. Now I'm watching children. It's fun to watch the kids playing around." Dream eagerly states, happily. Daycare? Huh...

"I'm guessing you like their positivity?" I ask, not sure what to say. Dream sheepishly nods.

"Well, yes. But when you put it like that, you make it sound as if I'm just using them to gain more power." Dream scratches his skull. "...There is another reason I chose Daycare. Do you remember those villagers? I miss the children that used to come over and play with me." As if saying something he shouldn't have, Dream freezes on the spot. I can sense his emotions waver, becoming worried.

Villagers...My eyesocket darkens, and my eye-light disappears. Just the mention of them erks me. Those bastards...I'm glad I killed them all. They were nothing but greedy, selfish meat sacks who didn't deserve quick deaths. If I could go back in time, I would have made sure to take my sweet time in torturing those buffoons. Too bad I couldn't control my powers properly at that time.

"...It's all in the past. At least you had a great time with them, no one ever came over to hang out with me. They all avoided me. I'm sure that Error already explained to you my situation back then. I just can't believe you were so gullible to not notice the signs...Then again, we weren't that good at differentiating emotions." As I say this, I can't help but tap the blanket slowly. 

Dream looks at me with confusion on his face. Wait...did Error not tell him? I thought she did. She told me she did. She wouldn't lie to me, I'm not Ink. So then, why is Dream making that face?

"Did I say something strange?" I ask.

"Error told me about the past. And I am sorry that I failed you as a brother. But...what do you mean no one hung out with you? Do you mean no one hung out with you with good intentions? In that case, I can see why you would say that. But...I thought you two were close...Was he also a bad villager?"

This time, it's my turn to make a confused face. What the hell is he saying? Did someone hang out with me? Me? The guardian of negativity? I'm pretty sure I'd remember something like that. Especially since he said that the villager and I were close. I couldn't have forgotten something important...right?

"What do you mean Dream? I don't remember having a friend when I was still passive. You must be confused from being stone for so long."

Dream shakes his head. "No, I'm not wrong. Don't you remember him? You two were always at the tree reading books or playing a game. You used to tell me stories of what you two did that day and would always say you hoped he would come over again. I wouldn't misremember that."

As he said that, a fuzzy image pops up in my head. But it leaves as quickly as it came. I didn't have enough time to register the image, but I felt as if something important was taken from me.

"...What was his name?" I subconsciously asked. Not even aware that question left my mouth since I was trying to get that image back. But I'm pulled from my thoughts as Dream answers my question.

"His name was Dawn."