A/N: Extra note: Narrator Chara is in here. Frisk is a flirt. Chara can also be a shit. People will die at least once in here. Just a heads up. Prior knowledge of Undertale or Ib not super necessary, because there isn't much about Undertale in this, but pretty much everything about Ib will be explained. So there will be a lot of spoilers for Ib.

Because of Qin-Ying's doodles about Frisk and Eve switching games, I suddenly wanted to write a story about it. Of course I didn't follow her ideas exactly but . . .

Anyway this was supposed to be one big oneshot, however it is already becoming absurdly long so I decided to split it into parts. why can't I make things simple

Also if you've been a reader for me long enough, I know I said I'm going on hiatus but, well, shit happens. I'm still considering myself on hiatus, but I will try to update when I can.

Please enjoy! And leave a review if you did to tell me what you think!

The piano puzzle took Frisk a little while to figure out, mostly because they had needed to figure out the right notes for the instrument. Chara had informed them that there probably wasn't anything to win from the puzzle, but Frisk had been curious. This may not be their very first time going through this part of the Underground (they had been killed a number of times already), but it was the first time they finally knew the notes to the piano. They knew there was nothing ahead of them that couldn't wait, so they decided to stop and see what was hidden behind this particular puzzle.

"*The wall opened." Chara said as they floated over to the open door. Frisk hopped off of the seat to follow them. Both of them peered into the cave to discover a single item on a pedestal. It was a red orb, roughly the size of a softball, and it appeared to be made of blown glass. Frisk felt cold looking at it, uncomfortable. They walked into the room and gazed at the orb, walking around it.

Chara hovered nearby, interested but otherwise quiet while Frisk inspected the object. Frisk glanced at the sign that was behind the object, but they weren't able to read it. "*It is the Legendary Artifact." Chara explained to them. "*Will you take it?"

Frisk hesitated to choose. They didn't like it. It made their stomach feel numb and empty just to look at it. They had a feeling it was dangerous. However, it may be useful. They did, after all, solve the puzzle, so maybe they were entitled to take it. If anything very bad happened, they could just Load. They decided to take it. Chara scooted in close as Frisk picked up the orb and the world dropped out beneath their feet. They blacked out.

They came to lying on a carpeted floor. They didn't feel any different than they had from before they had passed out, which was odd. But strangely enough they felt . . . disconnected. They couldn't explain it.

Frisk sat up slowly and glanced around. They were surrounded by short bookcases, much like the kind they would see in the children's section of the library where they lived. The walls and the flooring of the room they were in (because they were in a room. How did they get there?) were both red. Frisk felt very slightly ill. They searched for Chara.

"*I do not believe you are in Waterfall anymore." Chara's voice caught their attention. The spirit crossed their arms over their chest as they looked around as well while Frisk climbed to their feet. "*It looks like a library."

The room was a little small, but not suffocating with the two rows of bookshelves on each side. Frisk decided that it would be best to examine the cases. Chara had a different idea.

"*You should check the doors first." They seemed mildly disconcerted, which Frisk took as a sign that Chara had no clue where they were. The other human had admitted in a previous timeline that they hadn't seen what most of the Underground looked like, but through "reasons" (they never explained what they meant by that) Chara recognized most of the areas Frisk entered. This was uncharted territory.

Frisk hadn't even noticed the doors. There was one on each end of the room. They decided to try the one closest to them. They grabbed the knob and turned it, but the knob held fast.

"*The door is locked." Chara mused. "*Is there a key anywhere?"

Frisk shrugged but went to go try the other door when they heard a growl. The humans froze and listened. It sounded like there was something dragging rapidly across the floor outside of the room. Footsteps softly thudded as well, quickly approaching the room. Frisk tensed as the other door (apparently locked as well) was unlocked and thrown open by a young girl. Her long brown hair swirled around her as she spun around and slammed the door shut, breathing hard. Nobody moved for a moment before something pounded on the door. The girl squeaked in terror and backed away before turning to run, only to be startled by the sight of Frisk standing there. The girl leaped surprisingly high and what looked to be a rose flew from her hands. The girl now voiced a horrified gasp as the rose landed close to Frisk.

The little girl held her hands to her mouth, her face pale as she watched Frisk pick up the rose. Frisk tried not to be pricked on the thorns it had. As soon as the human touched it, the rose bloomed a bit more, five more petals appearing on it. Chara opened their mouth to say something, but a small voice cut them off.

The little girl lowered her hands and was asking a question. Her voice was shaky and weak, but Frisk thought she seemed like a human who didn't talk a lot either. They couldn't understand a word that she said, though. It seemed to be another language. Frisk frowned in confusion and glanced at Chara for help. They could recognize a question when they heard it. However they couldn't figure out if it was a question of if Frisk would hurt her or if it was about the rose. Whoever this was, Frisk decided, found this rose to be important. It was beautiful. It seemed almost too beautiful to be real.

Chara shot the girl a slightly confused look before they noticed Frisk waiting. "*She asked if she could have her rose back. She said please." Chara only seemed more surprised and caught off guard as the little girl stared at Chara with large red eyes. Actually red, much like Chara's were. Could the little girl actually see the hovering human?

The rose really was important to the girl. Well, they weren't about to keep it from her. Frisk approached with a soft smile, hoping to reassure the shaken girl, and held out the rose to her. The girl hesitated briefly, unnerved about being cornered it seemed, as she glanced first at Chara and then Frisk before carefully taking the rose back. Frisk felt warm in their chest suddenly, almost like when their Soul was outside of their body during battle. It felt a bit disconnecting. The girl whispered what must have been a thank you.

"*She is thanking you." Chara confirmed. "*. . .Can you see and hear me?" They asked the little girl. She nodded a little. Chara seemed surprised. "*And understand me? I do not speak your language." This time the girl appeared to struggle a bit. She seemed mildly confused, as if she was mentally translating what she heard but only understood a little bit of it. That was probably the case, Frisk thought.

Finally the girl spoke again. Unlike her, Chara seemed to understand what she was saying perfectly as they hummed a little in understanding. Frisk looked at Chara for help because they had no idea what she'd said. Chara translated, "*She understands some of what I am saying even though she does not speak the language I am speaking with you." Chara frowned at Frisk. "*This is odd."

Frisk nodded in agreement. "Do you need help?" They asked the girl quietly. This time the girl only stared at Frisk uncomprehendingly. She looked at Chara and spoke again.

"*She says she didn't understand you. Even though she can tell you and I are speaking the same language." The girl nodded in agreement to what Chara said. The spirit sighed. "*It appears I will have to play translator." Frisk smiled and shrugged in thanks.

The little girl hesitated again, but then held out her hand. Frisk managed to catch her name "Eve", but not much else. They understood it was an introduction. Frisk took her hand and gave it a shake. "Frisk." They said, pointing at themselves. Eve smiled for the first time since Frisk had seen her. It seemed her nerves were finally calming down.

Chara quickly translated what she asked of Frisk. "*Are you humans?"

Frisk nodded. Did that mean monsters were after the girl? Frisk would try to talk to them if so. They were sure they could calm anything down!

"*I am dead." Chara corrected the girl. "*You should not be able to see me." Eve seemed surprised, but not scared by this fact. She held her rose closer to her and eyed Chara before seeming to decide that they weren't someone to be scared of. Chara was mildly annoyed by that. She asked a question that Frisk understood must be about asking what Chara's name was because the spirit replied with their name.

"*We are not twins." Chara also added to her next question. She nodded and finally looked around her. Frisk still wondered what was happening. Where were they now and why did that rose sprout more petals? Frisk could see Eve eyeing the rose with just as much curiosity as she touched the petals. She glanced at Frisk but said nothing before she went to examine some of the books.

Frisk really looked at her now. She was younger than Frisk was and only a bit smaller. If Frisk had to guess, she was probably about nine or ten years old. Her clothing was very nice and reminded Frisk of private school uniforms with her white button up shirt and long red skirt. She also wore a red cravat to match her skirt along with tall black stockings and brown shoes. There were signs of injury on her from the way she walked, although Frisk couldn't see anything. Her legs were a bit scratched up and her shirt wasn't as pristine as Frisk had expected on their initial inspection. If this child was really going through the Underground, she was having an easier time than Frisk. They must look a mess considering they were covered with dirt and their outfit was more than a little torn up in certain places. They decided to take off their tutu for the meantime and put it in their inventory, switching instead to their torn ribbon to increase their cuteness factor and to seem a little less intimidating to the little girl.

Chara looked to Frisk. "*What do you want to do? She seems to have some idea of what is happening."

Frisk agreed with that analysis. They were a little more curious about what was behind the door, though. They had their stick still with them, so they pulled it out and walked towards the door. Before they could open it, however, Eve ran over and grabbed the back of their shirt. She shook her head quickly.

"Dangerous." She warned, and Chara automatically translated.

Frisk nodded to show they understood, and Eve released them. They smiled soothingly and held up a finger to tell her they would be right back and exited the room.

The room they entered was much larger than the library. It had tall ceilings and odd statues that stood almost as high as the ceiling. The statues had barriers around them like an art museum. As Frisk glanced around, they realized there were other pieces of art hanging up. They weren't able to read them, however, and neither could Chara.

"*It appears I can understand the spoken language, but not the written one." The humans gave each other curious looks about this phenomenon. Where were they at? An art gallery of sorts? The paintings, in Frisk's opinion, were a little disturbing. They felt lively, but not in the good way. Rather than being drawn to most of the pieces, Frisk rather felt a bit unnerved by them. The dragging sound didn't help. There was something in the room with them. Frisk wondered if the dripping figures of the "Uh" and "Ah" statues would come to life. It certainly felt like it.

A sharp grating growl ripped through the air and Frisk turned to see a painting coming at them. Only it seemed like half of a woman was clawing her way at them. She appeared stuck in the painting as she furiously clawed towards them. This was one of the scarier monsters Frisk had seen, they decided.

"*I have never seen a monster like that." Chara confessed, eyeing the monster painting with curiosity. Frisk waited for their Soul to be summoned so that they could start the battle, but it never came. The woman lashed out, and absurdly sharp nails scratched at Frisk's leg. They cried out in shock and pain.

They didn't have turns. The woman kept coming at them. Frisk opened their mouth and told the painting that they didn't want to fight. It had no effect.

"*It is like she did not hear you. *You doubt she even understands your language." Chara told them. Frisk still wasn't sure how it seemed that Chara sometimes knew exactly what they were thinking, but they had given up on trying to understand it. They were correct, after all.

Frisk fled back towards the room, limping a little from the sharp stinging of their injured leg. They had lost some health, but they couldn't sense how much.

"Frisk!" Eve called from the doorway. She held it open as Frisk reentered the library and they both pulled the door shut quickly. The painting yelled and pounded on the door, but the door held.

"*I think she cannot open doors." Chara noted.

Eve hovered as she looked at Frisk's injured leg. It was obvious she was worried about the injury. Frisk sat on the floor and patted their blood off with the edge of their sweater's sleeve. They didn't mind the blood on it. The wound stung, but it wasn't too deep. If they held their sleeve there long enough, the blood would stop.

"Are you okay?" Eve asked. It took a moment for Chara to translate it.

Frisk nodded and glanced at the door, allowing their face to show their confusion.

"The Lady in Red." Eve explained, drawing Frisk's attention back. The girl was gripping her skirt, clearly scared but holding herself together. She must be a pretty tough girl. "It is the name of the painting."

Frisk tilted their head, confused. "I don't . . . understand. Was that a monster?"

"*Translating is going to become annoying." Chara muttered even as they continued to do so. At least Frisk didn't speak often.

"I don't know." Eve admitted. "The paintings and the art . . . keep coming to life and attacking." That didn't sound anything like the Underground. Frisk didn't think they were in the Underground any longer. It seemed they had left one dangerous situation and had entered another.

"*The Legendary Artifact is missing." Chara pointed out right as Frisk realized this. "*There are petals on the floor . . ."

Frisk glanced over to see the red on red that were a couple petals from the rose in Eve's hand. Frisk pointed at it with a tilt of their head. Eve shook her head.

"Something about this rose is weird." The little girl said. "When I get hurt, it loses petals. And if it gets hurt, I also get hurt." She bit her lip a little, checking on her rose before she looked back at Frisk. "But I didn't get hurt. You did. But my rose lost petals."

"*The rose grew petals when Frisk touched it." Chara told her. Eve was silent as she gently touched one of the extra petals before she nodded.

"Do you have a rose?" She asked. Frisk shook their head.

"I think . . . we share a rose now." That seemed odd, but it wasn't the strangest thing to happen to Frisk today.

Eve seemed to sympathize with that thought. "Maybe."

"*If your Souls are connected through the rose, perhaps that is why she can see and understand me." Chara suggested.

"I'm sorry." Frisk pulled their sleeve away from the wound. It still stung, but the bleeding had stopped. "I got hurt and hurt your flower."

Eve shook her head and helped Frisk stand. "I hope there is a vase around. It will heal the rose." She said hopefully. That sounded like a Save point. Frisk nodded in agreement. They needed to find a way through that door so that they could go find a vase.

"*The door is locked." Chara told Eve when the girl attempted to open it. She immediately moved to check the bookshelves. Frisk joined her in the search. They couldn't understand anything in the books, but they could still try to find a switch or a key.

Some of the books, Frisk thought, had some curious pictures in it. They all appeared to be, for the most part, art-related. At one point the human pulled out a slip of paper that had been wedged between books. It was unreadable to them, until they blinked and the words changed.

HAVING FUN?

That was ominous.

"*It seems the gallery is out for blood." Chara said after they read the note aloud. Eve glanced at them when she heard them talking, but she was still on the other side if the room with a book in her hands. "*Or it is messing with her."

"Chara." Eve called to catch the spirit's attention. Chara then had to translate what she said next, "The Ladies cannot open doors for themselves."

That was a good confirmation. Frisk and Eve moved onto the next bookshelves, but then paused. There was a book that was sticking out. How had they not noticed that before? It was near where Frisk had woken up.

"*There is a storybook drawn in crayon sticking out. It was not sticking out earlier. *Do you want to read it?"Chara asked.

Eve and Frisk shared a look. If it was not sticking out earlier, then why was it now? What caused it to do so? Would it be better to pull it out, or to push it back into place?

Eve reached forward and took the book. It appeared to be a children's book. The title was simple enough that Frisk could read it fine, although they didn't know what a Galette des Rois was. Eve opened the book, and all three humans watched as the pictures of the book began to move and speak on their own. They appeared to be children's drawings. It told the story of Careless Carrie (as the title denoted) sharing a birthday with her friends. Frisk understood the tiny high-pitched noises of the people without Eve or Chara having to translate. Carrie accidentally ate the coin that was supposed to be pulled out of the cake, however her friend discovered that it had really been a key to the study. After some contemplation, the friend took up a knife and ruefully commented on how she was just as careless as Carrie.

The last image had the now-blood-stained friend holding up a bloody key and saying how she would open the door now.

There was a click. Startled, Eve and Frisk both looked at the door at the sound. Eve closed the book and carefully placed it back on the shelf, pushing it in before she and Frisk walked to the door. Frisk turned the knob.

"*The door is unlocked." Chara said. "*What a curious book. *You wonder if the rest of the gallery is like this."

"It is." Eve confirmed quietly. Together they pushed open the door and looked around before exiting. The hallway appeared to be empty. A single portrait of a blue vase with a flower in it was hanging on the wall between what appeared to be a diary on a table and an actual blue vase. Eve hurried over to the vase while Frisk glanced back into the room. Chara lingered by the bookshelf.

"*The book is nowhere to be found." They said.

Frisk and Chara joined the other human as she placed the rose into the vase. Instantly the flower bloomed with ten petals total, and Frisk felt completely rejuvenated. Their wounds were all gone. Frisk and Eve both checked Frisk's leg to make sure. It was all healed up. This didn't feel anything like a Save point, though.

"Eternal Blessing." Eve read slowly from the plaque under the painting. Frisk felt a little soothed by this painting. Maybe not all of the art in the gallery was bad. Eve moved over to the diary next to write something in it.

"*What is this?" Chara asked as they watched her write her name and Frisk's name in a space with slow graceful writing.

"It lets me know where I have been." Eve explained. Frisk wasn't paying much attention to them, though. They were looking at the red door on the far side of the room. They would probably guess that it was locked. The other side of the hall continued onwards, but the lighting was so bad that Frisk couldn't possibly guess what was down there.

"*It gives the sensation of a Save point." Chara murmured as Frisk rejoined them. Eve looked at Chara with mild confusion. Frisk wasn't so sure she understood what Chara had said. Frisk pointed towards the open hallway questioningly. Eve nodded to them, and together they walked forward. Frisk wasn't used to travelling with another real human, so they worried about if they would be attacked. If this place didn't have monsters in it, did Frisk somehow escape the Underground? But why wouldn't the monsters use the Legendary Artifact if so? Could only humans use it?

Eve froze with a small gasp that drew Frisk back to attention. There was a person collapsed on the floor, his face hidden from view. Chara crossed their arms and floated on their back leisurely as Frisk and Eve rushed over to the man. His body trembled minutely and as the humans approached, he groaned.

"*He is holding tightly onto a key. Do you want to take it?" Chara asked, floating over the man and tilting their head to get a better look. Frisk took the small key from his loose grip. Eve called out to him, but his response was pained and strained.

"He's in pain . . ." Eve murmured.

"*Massage his shoulders." Chara recommended, grinning a little bit. Frisk ignored them. He was seriously hurt. They could see the blood darkening his jacket in places. He was injured.

"Rose?" They wondered. Chara asked Eve.

"Maybe the key?" She suggested. She held out her hand. Frisk curiously handed it to her. "I will go look!"

Frisk wasn't sure that was a good idea. It was dangerous. Admittedly Frisk wasn't much older than her, but they didn't want Eve to risk herself anymore than she already was. Before Frisk could speak and say they would go ahead, Eve was already hurrying off. Frisk had no choice but to wait with the man and hope. They kneeled down next to the man and gently touched his shoulders.

"Can you eat?" They asked as they pulled out a piece of candy. It wouldn't heal his physical wounds, but it may help to heal his Soul. The man only whimpered, his curly lilac fringe hanging in his face. Frisk wasn't sure what else to do. They glanced around the hallway and saw two pictures. One was actual artwork that didn't seem to be moving anytime soon, a swirl of various colors covering the canvas, while the other was a moving picture. It was just a red face on black with a tongue that moved.

"*Its tongue keeps wiggling . . ." Chara pointed out with a tiny bit of disgust in their voice. It wasn't the most appealing picture. Frisk decided to get away from it before it bit them, or something worse. However as they were going back over to the man, pain ripped through their body. They gasped and curled in on themselves as it happened again. "*Frisk?" Chara darted in front of the human, looking them over in confusion. Frisk couldn't answer. Eve was in trouble, they were sure.

They tried to put one foot in front of the other needing to go find the little girl. She was losing rose petals. It felt like someone was slashing them with a blade from the inside with each moment passing. Their body felt slicker, but they didn't know if it was from blood or sweat. They had to keep moving even though the world was swirling around them.

"*Frisk!" Chara yelled as Frisk's legs buckled beneath them and they collapsed. They couldn't breathe. Something had cut their lung. They were going to die. It wasn't the first time, but it never is pleasant while dying. Especially in so brutal of a fashion. Eve would be all alone. Frisk teared up a bit and regretted not following her.

This wasn't the Save screen they were used to. That wasn't Chara's name there. Chara's head tilted a little as they examined the curious Save point. This must be Eve's Save. The girl herself didn't have enough determination to go back and fix things, but Chara and Frisk both did. They could try again. It would be interesting to see what would happen to Eve with her Soul connected to theirs. Would she remember?

"This time," Chara told Frisk as they stood next to Chara, "do not let her go alone."

Frisk nodded as they watched the solid form of Chara reach forward to Load up a Save. It had an image of both Eve's and Frisk's faces.

FILE 1 LOADED

Frisk and Chara barely blinked as they found themselves back in front of the Eternal Blessing painting with Eve right as she finished signing both her name and Frisk's name into the diary. She didn't seem to notice that Frisk was suddenly right behind her and not partway across the room examining their surroundings. Frisk waited to see if she would think anything strange from the Load (did she remember dying?) however Eve never said anything.

Frisk pointed towards the open hallway questioningly. Eve nodded to them, and together they once again walked forward. This time Frisk was more prepared for Eve's gasp at the sight of the collapsed man. He looked to be in a little less pain than the last time Frisk saw him. His rose must actually be in danger.

"*He is holding tightly onto a key. Do you want to take it?" Chara asked again, floating around the man and emitting a vaguely bored aura. Frisk took the small key from his loose grip. Eve called out to him, but his response was pained and strained.

"He's in pain . . ." Eve murmured.

"*Try to massage his shoulders." Chara recommended again. And again Frisk ignored them. They pointed back towards the door on the other side of the hallway.

"His rose." They suggested.

"The key may help." Eve understood. She reached to take it from them, but Frisk tugged it away with a shake of their head. Eve gave them a confused look. "I can go . . ."

Frisk reached forward and took her hand gently in theirs. Their eyes were insistent but sympathetic as they said, "I don't want you to get hurt."

Chara scoffed even as they repeated what Frisk said..

Eve stared at Frisk with wide eyes before her cheeks turned a little pink and she looked away, ducking her head. "Someone should stay with him. He's hurt."

"Go together. Quickly." Frisk insisted, and gave a tug of her hand. Eve gave in and followed as Frisk hurried back down the hallway to the door. They didn't know what was on the other side, but it had managed to kill Eve. They quietly opened the door fully expecting another piece of art to attack . . . but the room was empty. They pushed the door open wider and the children entered.

Eve looked around herself before she walked over to a single vase in the room. There was a piece of paper taped on either side of the vase. "The papers look like the ones I saw earlier." She told them quietly. "When I got my rose."

"You didn't always have it?" Frisk asked.

She shook her head. "I got it when I . . . entered this place."

"*So you are not from here." Chara glanced into the vase. "*There is no water left in the vase." So it wouldn't be helpful to them. There was another door that seemed to lead into a small room, but for the moment they avoided that. Together Frisk and Eve peeked around the corner only to find a single name plaque. Eve read it aloud for them.

"The Lady in Blue." She glanced sharply at Frisk. "Another Lady." That must have been what killed Eve. Most likely in that tiny room. Frisk knelt down on the floor and picked up some stray blue petals. They felt warm at the touch and hauntingly beautiful. They didn't know blue roses even existed.

"*There are blue petals on the ground." Chara reached to touch the petal and seemed surprised that they were able to feel it. They whipped their hand back quickly. "*There is blood on the floor too." They pointed at the red-on-red that was a small splatter of blood. It must have been from the man.

"We have to hurry." Eve told them, already moving towards the final door in the room. Frisk clutched the small key in their hand as they followed her and unlocked the door to the room. Inside was a cramped space with what appeared to be some kind of tent artwork and a window. They could hear a strange sound that they were reluctant to pursue.

"*It sounds like flowers being plucked." Chara filled in the thought. Frisk and Eve walked forward on nervous feet to peer around the corner. The Lady in Blue held a blue rose, slowly and cheerfully plucking the petals from it. It only had a few petals left. Eve gasped in horror at the sight, attracting the Lady's attention. She scowled at them, but didn't move to attack yet. Frisk could see how she wanted to, though.

Frisk had a plan. They gently pushed Eve backwards with a nod to her. They would handle this. Eve looked confused. Chara scooted forward to see what Frisk had planned.

Frisk stepped forward, making sure the Lady's attention was on them, before they turned their face into their shoulder and gazed at the Lady demurely. Chara reluctantly said, "*Frisk used Flirt." It didn't seem to have an effect, but the Lady wasn't attacking yet. They pushed the edge of their sleeve off of their shoulder and brought a fist to their mouth, lowering their eyelashes to gaze at the Lady through them. The Lady seemed more confused, no longer scowling.

"*This is not working." Chara warned, annoyed.

Maybe, Frisk thought, the Lady just wasn't attracted to feminine appeal. They decided to try masculine, then. They unbuttoned the top button of their shorts and slowly pushed up their sweater to reveal some skin. The Lady stared, her mouth dropping open a bit at the sight as Frisk flicked their head and spread their legs. They lifted their chin and gave her a slow crooked smile, just as they had seen models on television doing.

The Lady seemed to blush, her painted cheeks turning a muddled pink as she turned away from the sight even though her eyes couldn't stop drifting back to Frisk. She tossed the flower at them as a prize, which Frisk gladly caught. They winked at the Lady in thanks, and the Lady grinned.

"*Flee." Chara commanded, and both Frisk and Eve ran for the door. The Lady realized quickly what had just happened and growled furiously, clawing after them. However Frisk and Eve were already through the door, slamming it shut. The Lady pounded on the door in anger, however Eve and Frisk knew they were safe.

"*Disgusting." Chara scolded Frisk as they buttoned up their shorts properly. Eve's face was also red, her hands coming to her cheeks to feel how hot they were. "*Eve wonders how you can be like that." Chara narrated for her, surprising Frisk a little bit.

"No! I. . ." Whatever Eve had been about to say was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering. Both children gasped, jumping in horror as the Lady in Blue burst through the window and proceeded to come after them again. She was significantly faster than the Lady in Red. Frisk grabbed Eve's hand and ran for the door. Eve let out a small scared noise as the Lady's hand almost caught her ankle, but Frisk shoved Eve through the open door and dove through after her, slamming the door shut. The Lady screeched in fury. This time she didn't have a window to bust through.

"Vase." Frisk pointed so Chara wouldn't need to translate and walked over to the vase while Eve recovered her breath. She leaned against the wall near the vase as Frisk placed the flower in the water. The blue rose returned to health right away, it's petals blooming cheerfully. Frisk gave a small relieved sigh at the sight as they pulled it back out of the vase to show Eve. She gave a small smile as well before the two of them went to go find the man.

He was still collapsed on the floor, but no longer shaking. Eve kneeled near him and touched his shoulder. He moaned a little and shakily pushed himself up with his hands, confusion on his face. His grey eyes were a little bleary as he murmured to himself. Frisk glanced at Chara for a translation, but the man threw himself to his feet and away from Eve suddenly, shouting. Eve backed up so that she was next to Frisk, alarmed.

"*He thought we were going to hurt him." Chara explained quickly as the man seemed to calm down. "*Are you from the gallery? He says."

Eve nodded. The man's face relaxed, relief prominent in his features. He ran his hand over his face in an effort to wipe away some of the sweat there. "So you are!" He breathed, smiling. "Oh, thank heavens! There are people here besides me!"

Frisk held out the blue rose to him, and the man seemed surprised but pleased the sight. His next words were clearly a thank you as he took the rose from Frisk and held it close. He seemed to have a bit more of a glow to his skin now that he held the rose, but Frisk wasn't sure if that was just their imagination or not. They motioned over to the wall and sat down.

"*Frisk thinks we should rest." Chara told Eve, and the girl seemed to like the idea. She joined Frisk on the floor, sighing as she leaned against the wall. The man joined them on Frisk's other side.

"Are you two all alone?" He asked. They both nodded, but Eve held up three fingers. "Three!" The man cried. "There is a third person? Where are they? Are they alright?" He seemed agitated at the thought of someone missing. Eve pointed at Chara where they floated idly near the group. The man frowned, clearly not seeing Chara.

"I think only you and I can see them." Frisk told Eve gently. "Because we share your rose." Eve blinked in surprise. The man seemed even more startled.

"You're speaking a different language!" He announced. "You no speak this?" He asked in broken speech as he attempted to speak Frisk's language. At least they vaguely understood him. Chara grinned a little in amusement. Frisk shrugged and shook their head.

"You can understand it?" The man asked Eve. Eve shook her head as well.

"Chara tells me." She explained.

"Chara?"

"The ghost that follows Frisk. You can't see-"

"*Excuse me!" Chara didn't finish their translation of what Eve said as they butted in, irritated. Eve startled at the emotion in their voice. "*They/Them pronouns. We don't like being called that."

Eve only seemed more confused. She fretted a little, understanding she had upset Chara and possibly Frisk, and looked to her new friend for help. Frisk smiled helplessly at her and nodded in agreement to what Chara said.

"What's the matter?" The man asked, completely lost but seeing the distress on Eve's face. He was very obviously missing a part of the conversation. Eve turned to the man and explained what had just happened and her confusion. "Ohh!" He breathed, understanding.

"*He's explaining it to her." Chara told Frisk instead of translating. "*At least he understands."

"Okay." Eve said, still appearing a little unsure but understanding that this was how things were supposed to be. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Frisk smiled at her.

"So there really is a, um, ghost here?" The man asked, perturbed. The children nodded. "Okay." He decided to change the subject. "Do either of you have any idea what is happening?"

Frisk shook their head. "We appeared here from . . . a very different place than either of you." They smiled a little helplessly. "I doubt our story will be . . . a lot of help."

"What?" The man asked.

"*Eve. You need to translate for him as well." Chara told the little girl.

"I don't understand everything, though." She warned.

"Whatever you can understand." Frisk told her. Eve nodded and told the man what Frisk had said. Amusingly enough, Frisk could see how the girl was going to find it tedious to also translate. This situation was comical.

"What do you mean?" The man asked when he was finally informed of the set-up. Frisk just shook their head and motioned to Eve to talk instead.

"*Our story will not make much sense to you. Just tell your story." Chara told her.

Eve smoothed her skirt out for something to do with her hands as she explained what had happened to her. Eve had been visiting an art gallery with her parents to see the Guertena exhibit. She had gone off ahead of her parents when suddenly everyone disappeared. She had searched for someone, but the lights went out and painted words appeared telling her to go downstairs. When she had, she was led towards a painting that she went into, and she found herself in the strange gallery they were in now.

"Things keep coming to life and attacking me." She didn't need to explain that she was scared. The slight tremble to her hands was obvious enough. Frisk placed a soothing hand on her shoulder and rubbed it.

The man sighed, saddened with a sympathetic gaze for Eve. "So I see. . . You don't have any clue how things got to this point either. It would seem we wound up in very similar situations, I have to say . . ." He held up his rose, gazing at the petals. Frisk could see that his flower also had ten petals. "Even down to these roses. Wounds appear on me when my rose loses its petals . . ." He closed his eyes and shook his head a bit to clear whatever thought he was having from it. "I thought I was a goner there . . . Thank you for getting it back." He placed his rose into the pocket of his jacket. The torn thing was more of a trench coat than a jacket with pockets deep enough to carry a couple of things. It appeared thin and worn, though, as if he had worn it a lot.

"*Smells like cigarettes." Chara commented, wrinkling their nose just a little bit.

"Now then, what about you? Do you have a rose?" The man asked Frisk.

"They share a rose with me." Eve explained.

"What! How can that be?" The man asked, shocked. Both children shrugged, not understanding either. "My, that seems awfully dangerous. Two people sharing one rose. You two will need to be extremely careful . . ." He shot them a concerned look before he glanced up and down the hallway. "Now, first things first. We'd better find a way out. I think I'll go mad if I stay in this dreadful place for too long."

He ran his hand again over his face, weariness making itself present there. Frisk felt their legs throb in understanding. At least in this place the art wasn't actively pursuing them. And it was inside and warmer than either Waterfall or Snowdin. They suddenly missed Toriel and the warmth of her home and food. They shook their head firmly. No, they couldn't think of that right now. They had a lot of stuff they needed to do! And it looked like they needed to get these two back home as well. Maybe along the way Frisk would be able to find the Legendary Artifact again. After all, it looked like it may belong in a gallery like this.

"Ah, I still haven't asked either of you your names. My, that was rude of me!" The man suddenly blurted out, remembering. Chara had started to take on a more mocking tone as they translated what the man was saying. Frisk wasn't sure if the man was actually speaking with such an effeminate tone or if it was just Chara being rude. "Well, my name's Garry. And you are?"

"I am Eve." Eve introduced politely. "And this is Frisk and Chara."

"Frisk and Eve! And, uh, Chara is the . . . ghost?"

"Yes." The girl nodded.

Garry gave them both a quick smile, his eyes darting around to look for Chara, before he stepped away from them momentarily to murmur to himself. Chara grinned a little mischievously as they translated what he clearly hadn't wanted either of the children to hear. "I can't very well leave children to wander into danger, no, no." He turned back to the children quickly. "So I'll go with you both! Okay?" He smiled confidently. "Now, let's go!"

Frisk and Eve smiled back as Garry took the lead, walking down the one part of the hallway none of them had explored yet. However as he passed in front of the moving painting, the painting spat at him. Garry threw himself backwards to avoid the spit, falling down and shrieking in shock.

"Are you alright?" Eve asked, stepping forward to help him. Garry didn't respond for a moment before he scrambled to his feet. His cheeks were slightly red as he dusted himself off. "I . . . I was just a bit startled! Really, that's all it was!"

"*Real convincing." Chara muttered. "*Both of you must feel so protected right now." Frisk and Eve pretended not to hear.

"Anywayyy . . ." Garry continued quickly to recover from his embarrassing moment, "Let's keep going, and look out for such bizarre things as that!"

"*You considered trying to comfort him. But then thought better of it." Chara said. Eve huffed a tiny laugh, gazing at Frisk with some amusement. Frisk would've laughed too, but thought it better not to mess with Garry when he couldn't even hear Chara or understand Frisk. The three of them walked around the small puddle of spit left on the ground and eyed the painting warily as they entered the room at the end of the hallway. There was a headless black statue with a blue tie blocking the doorway. It appeared to be very heavy. Frisk doubted they would be able to move it if they tried.

Eve didn't look like she wanted to get near the thing, but Frisk tapped on the statue. It felt like it was made of metal. They didn't understand why it was headless. "Be careful." Eve warned quietly.

"*This statue will not come to life." Chara predicted. Frisk explained to Eve how Chara seemed to have the ability to sometimes predict the near future. Chara scoffed after they had translated that but didn't deny it. At Garry's questioning look, Eve also told Garry.

"My, that sounds like a useful ability." He shot the statue an uneasy glance. "Although . . . I'm not sure I like the idea that these things can also come to life. Metal statues . . ." He noticed that Eve was looking more uncomfortable at his thoughts and quickly said, "Anyway, what a lousy place for this thing. Eve, Frisk, step back a tad, will you?" Eve and Frisk did as they were asked, and Garry went around to the side of the statue to push. "And . . . heave!" All three children gaped as the statue scraped across the floor and out of the way of the door. Garry sighed and wiped his forehead. "Ta-dah! Now we can proceed!" He turned back to them. "All right, let's go!"

"*Wow. Maybe he will be useful." Chara said, impressed as both Eve and Frisk thanked Garry. "*At least we did not need to find a switch."

The group of four entered the next room with high spirits. Frisk had to blink at the sudden change in color scheme. Now the walls and floor were all grey, rather than red. There were two large black hands sticking out of the ground and wiggling their fingers along with two paintings of a man and woman dressed for a wedding and appearing disheartened. Eve and Garry walked over to one of the hands to read the name plates aloud.

"Grieving Bride's Left Hand." Garry read before glancing at the other hand's nameplate. "And Grieving Bride's Right Hand. How curious."

"Grieving Bride." Eve read slowly as she examined the portrait. Frisk felt their heart clench at the sight of the tears on the bride's face. Why was she so sad? Even the beautiful pink bouquet she was carrying seemed to wilt. They didn't need to read the other painting's description to know this was the Grieving Groom.

"I wonder what happened?" Garry asked. "Why would Guertena paint something like this?"

"*More puzzles. At least we have become good at those." Chara mused.

"How?" Eve asked, and it took Chara a moment to realize she was talking to them. Garry hummed in question as he walked a bit forward to go into the next part of the room, but realized that the children weren't quite with him yet.

"Where we come from . . . we had to become good at puzzles." Frisk explained as they rejoined Garry. They pointed out a diary on the far side of the room, so the four of them went over. "There are a lot of puzzles here, I'm guessing."

"Yes." Eve agreed.

"I can't say I'm great at puzzles," Garry informed them, "but I'm not against trying."

"We have to." Eve wrote down all three of their names in the book. Frisk felt something akin to a Save occur.

What a strange world.