A/N: Day 3 of my month-long writing challenge, with the prompt being "Restless." This story is for a very small fandom- a sub-part of the Shall We Date? otome game series. This particular game is called The Niflheim, and features all sorts of undead creatures to interact with. I hope that whoever reads this story can enjoy it, regardless of whether they've played the game or not!

*Note: For this story, the MC will be referred to as "Alice."

Restless

"Princess, please stop asking me the same question; my answer is not going to change," Orlando said calmly. He stood in the doorway of Alice's room, effectively blocking her exit. The girl frowned.

"Shouldn't one of the perks of possessing the title of 'Princess' be that I can go wherever I chose, whenever I chose?" she questioned, crossing her arms in front of her, foot tapping impatiently underneath her floor-length sky blue dress. Orlando merely smiled.

"During reasonable hours, that is certainly the case. However, at this time of evening, there are too many ruffians about for me to feel comfortable letting you wander on your own."

"...Then, will you accompany me?" The princess flashed a grin. Orlando stared her down, the genial smile of the king's aide still plastered across his face.

"I will see you in the morning, Princess." With that, Orlando took one step backwards, shut the bedroom door, and locked it. Alice huffed with indignation.

"Unbelievable!" she exclaimed to no one in particular, throwing her hands into the air and turning towards the window. "I'm getting rather tired of being told, 'you can't be outside during the witching hours, Princess!'... Honestly, I believe staying cooped up in this room for much longer will cause me to lose my mi-"

"Alice?" A soft voice came from the window, making the rambling girl jump. Putting a hand to her chest- a gesture used to calm her heart, if it were still beating, she narrowed her eyes and gazed hard in front of her. Soon, she saw the transparent outline of Nick climbing over the edge of the windowsill, long scarf tucked underneath an arm as he hoisted his right leg over the side.

"Nick!" the princess exclaimed, a huge smile lighting up her face. She rushed over and grasped his arm, helping him fully crawl over the windowsill and into her room.

"Thank you," the pale ghost said softly, once he had fully righted himself. He smoothed out his scarf, now trailing all the way down his torso, and tilted his head curiously, gazing intently at the girl in front of him. "Are you okay? I thought I heard you talking to someone, but no one else is here..."

"Orlando won't let me leave at this time of night," she admitted instantly. She didn't necessarily like complaining, but if there was one person in all of Niflheim that she felt comfortable speaking her true thoughts aloud to, it was most definitely the kind-hearted ghost in front of her.

"Why not?" Nick asked innocently, a slight frown creasing his forehead. Alice sighed.

"He says it is dangerous for a lady such as myself to go walking the streets alone at this hour." She rolled her eyes. "I merely want to take a stroll, not investigate the seedy bars of Niflheim that I'm rather sure a few of the Royal Council members visit on their own time..."

There was a pause. After a moment, Nick gave her a small grin, appreciating the jab at the stuffy Council. Then he looked at the ground, a light blush coloring his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um... would you...," he began, but then paused, biting his lip. Alice raised an eyebrow as the pale ghost continued. "Er, I mean to say... I could go on a walk with you. I-I might not be able to offer much protection, but... I have a feeling you could hold your own if the need arose. Plus, I could still throw things at people if they bothered you!"

Without hesitation, Alice threw her arms around Nick's shoulders in a tight hug, letting out a small shout of excitement. The ghost's eyes widened, unsure of how to respond to the sudden physical affection.

"I would love to take a walk with you!" Alice exclaimed as she let go, a huge smile lighting up her entire face. "Honestly, I was probably going to go out on my own anyway, but... I'd much rather have your company by my side! Thank you!"

Nick chuckled a tad nervously. "Y-yes, of course, no problem, Alice."

"Let's leave right now, before Orlando has a chance to come back and check on me!"

"Oh! Uh, alright..."

Almost before Nick got those words out, Alice had already hoisted her dress up to her knees and was climbing over the windowsill. She paused and held out a hand to Nick, who mirrored her happy expression. Wrapping his hand firmly around hers, he helped Alice exit the bedroom.

"What a time to be alive, Nick!" the princess exclaimed as she began crawling backwards down the thick vines encompassing the castle. Nick laughed, fully this time.

"Aren't we dead, Alice?" he questioned, following her path down the side of the building. Alice stuck out her tongue.

"Oh, you know what I mean!"

The two of them giggled all the way down the wall.