1:8
"Afternoon, Ms. Tori," a friendly voice greeted, "Could I get ya yer usual?"
The white furred, mature, monster was on her way home from her evening walk through the park, having been stopped by a familiar face. The neighborhood Nice Cream Man, making his usual rounds. The blue rabbit wore his happy go lucky smile across his face, as his hand was already reaching into his cart to retrieve one of the frozen treats. Ms. Tori (as she'd been called) considered his offer, an emptiness still present inside her from the small lunch she had earlier. However, that feeling also reminded her of exactly why her lunch was small, and she groaned internally.
"As good as that sounds -and trust me, that does sound good-, I'm afraid I'll have to pass today," she answered reluctantly, "I'm dieting." The expression on the blue rabbit's face never changed, as he nodded understandingly.
"Not a problem, ma'am," the Nice Cream Man responded, retracting his hand out of the cart, "Maybe some other time then? Enjoy the rest of yer evenin'."
"You as well." Ms. Tori returned, smiling warmly as she continued her journey. Though, it wasn't too long after that a loud growl of hungry erupted from her stomach. "You don't need it," she told herself, trying to resist the urge to turn back, "You don't need it." Another much louder growl came from her stomach, and she sighed in defeat. She stopped and turned back, finding the Nice Cream Man waiting in the same spot. "On second thought..."
"So much for saving a few bucks this month." Ms. Tori thought, rather disappointed in herself. She took a bite of her frozen treat, her mood immediately brightening from the deliciously sweet flavor. She glanced at the message that was printed on the wrapper, reading it to herself. "My day gets brighter whenever I see you!" If it weren't for the fur that covered her face, it'd be red as a rose. That message alone had made her content with her decision. "The frozen treat that makes you feel warm inside"; it certainly lived up to that motto.
She needed that kind of feeling every now and again, to lift her spirits in these depressing times. She was far from financially stable; her failing bookstore was a testament to that (as well as the cause). There weren't too many folk that'd venture to the Ruins to pay good money for the many pieces of classic literature that took up space on her shelves; especially when they can just as easily acquire a book at the library for none of the cost. She had lied before about being on a diet. She hated lying, but she was far too embarrassed to share her problems.
Eating is a necessity, but she didn't need to treat herself as much as she did. And she was good on that, except when it came to Nice Cream. She knew it wasn't the frozen snack itself or the kind message inside that made her so joyous, it was knowing that she was helping another struggling business like her own survive. She felt it harder on the young rabbit though, his business struggled no matter where the location. Pushing that cart all over the Underground, only to come up short of ends meet.
To compensate for her own lacking income, she had cut corners on other expenses in order to save a buck or two. Instead of a new wardrobe, she'd done a lot of self repairs and recycling. It'd been years since she had gone shopping for clothes, but she still managed to look her best with what she had. That day she was dressed comfortably in a yellow tank top, red skirt, and white sweater. You never would have guessed that any of it was ever fashioned from an old bed set.
She conserved on electricity by lighting her home with candles. In the winter, she used her fireplace to stay warm. She even went scrapping when times were desperate. In no way did she enjoy living her life like this, but she needed to survive. However, if the day ever came that her only option was to sell her body on the street, she'd surely rather die. No matter the cost, she would never give up her integrity.
"Howdy!"
The goat lady snapped out of her trance, seeking out the person who had addressed her. To her confusion though, there was no one around.
"You're new to the Underground, ain'tcha?" the voice from before asked. It almost seemed recognizable to her, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. It sounded young and friendly, perhaps even belonging to a male. Her eyes followed the direction the voice came from, noticing a figure crouching down in an alleyway.
"Uh... yeah, actually," a different voice answered the other, also sounding young, but much more feminine.
"Now, Tori, it's not polite to listen in on other's conversa-" she had gone to scold herself, but was suddenly cut off by a sudden realization, "Wait, new?" Her ruby eyes lit up with a look of panic, as she continued to listen in on the two.
"I guess you could say I'm lost." the feminine voice explained, as Ms. Tori hid herself around the corner. The crouching figure stood upright, revealing a second figure who was kneeling on the ground. They were both noticeably short in stature, after the second had made it to their feet. The first was a yellow flower, who's face radiated cheerfulness. He was clothed in a lime green dress shirt, with a yellow bow tie around his neck. Suspenders and a belt held his brown dress pants up and around his slim waist. The black dress shoes on his feet were finely polished and without scuffs.
"Hey, don't sweat it, pal," the flower said, "I can help ya out." As the flower moved aside, Ms. Tori's face lit up with astonishment as she saw the second figure. A human.
A beautiful, young woman, with shoulder length, brunette, hair. Her skin was a light shade of tan, and seemed to be free of any kind of blemishes. Her slender (seemingly underdeveloped) body was clothed in a baggy, purple and blue striped, sweater dress, black tights, and Penny Loafers that had seen better days.
"Really?" she asked, a hopeful expression on her face, "You'd do that?"
"Sure thing," the flower answered, his hands in his pockets, "By the way, the name's Flowey. Flowey the Flower."
"It's lovely to meet you, Flowey," the girl responded with a warm smile, "I'm Frisk."
"Frisk, eh?" Flowey repeated, "Well, Frisk, there's a bus stop not too far from here. If ya hurry, ya might be able to catch the 5 o'clock." Frisk's smile faded into a frown.
"That'd certainly help, but I don't have any money." she explained.
"Not a problem!" Flowey assured, pulling a balled up leaf hand from his pocket, "Flowey to the resc-oops!" Loose change spilled from his hand onto the ground at the young girl's feet.
"Aw, Flowey," Frisk said, amazed and flattered by the flower's generosity, "That's super sweet, but you really don't have to do that." She crouched down to pick the fallen change up for her new found friend.
The next thing the human girl felt was a sudden rush of pain to her face, then the back of her head hitting the concrete ground. Her hands clasped over her face, unable to relieve the resonating sting that remained from the blow. A muffled whimper escaped her, as she tried her damnedest to fight back the tears that were pooling up in her eyes.
"You idiot." she heard the flower cackle sadistically. She desperately tried to look at her attacker, but the tears obscured her vision. Soon enough, her eyes were able to make out a mass of white and yellow, before she could finally recognize the face of the flower. His facial expression was no longer warm and friendly as it'd been before, but was now a monstrous tooth grin that spelled out evil intentions. "Round these parts, it's kill or be killed!"
He lifted a revolver into Frisk's field of vision, aiming it directly between her eyes. The girl's body trembled in fear of what was going on, as she attempted to plead with the madman. "Please, you don't have to do this!"
"Oh, but who could pass up an opportunity like this?" Flowey asked, shrugging coyly. He pulled back the hammer until there was a click. Frisk closed her eyes, preparing for the worse. "Die-"
The maniacal flower was cut off when a rusted pipe suddenly connected with the side of his head, sending him careening into some nearby trashcans. Frisk's eyes opened again upon hearing the commotion, shocked and grateful that she was still alive. What she didn't expect to see was Ms. Tori standing in Flowey's place, wielding the pipe used to club him. Her eyes burned brightly with an unbridled fury.
"About time someone taught ya some manners, ya littl-" the larger monster caught herself, realizing that she was still in the presence of a new face. She turned her gaze from the unconscious flower to the injured human, who still wore a frightened expression behind her hands. "Are you alright, my child?" she asked tenderly, kneeling down to her level. Frisk was partially hesitant to answer her, not knowing what to expect next. Ms. Tori reached her hand out to move Frisk's away from her face, only for her to wince in response. "It's alright," Ms. Tori assured, her voice having a more nurturing tone, "I'm not going to hurt you."
Frisk wasn't sure how she should react, as she'd already got a taste of what trusting a stranger would get her. She only froze, as the larger, furrier, hand of the monster took hold of hers and peeled them back. Her button nose was already darkening to a shade of purple, but it didn't appear to be broken. Blood leaked from her nostrils, dripping all the way down to her chin. "Oh dear!" Ms. Tori gasped, drawing her hand away quickly. She reached her hand into the pocket of her sweater and pulled out a handkerchief, quickly using it to wipe the blood away.
There was no doubt in Frisk's mind that if this goat-like monster lady wanted to kill her, she'd already done it ten times over by now. But, she was gentle and tender, doing her best not to cause her anymore harm. "My name's Toriel," she introduced herself, when the last of the blood had been wiped away. "But most just call me Ms Tori. And you are?"
"F-Frisk." the young girl stammered out, wiping the tears away from her eyes.
"Frisk?" Ms. Tori repeated, seeming rather curious. A friendly smile spread across her soft face, and a small giggle escaped her. "My, that is a peculiar name."
"Uh, thank you?" Frisk responded, not a hundred percent sure how to interpret that.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Frisk." the monster informed, as she stood and offered her hand to the human. Frisk was hesitant, but she couldn't see any ill intentions hidden in the monster's ruby eyes. Not hesitating any further, she took her hand and pulled herself up to her feet. Her legs were shaky from the ordeal she'd just been through, but she no longer felt afraid. Rather, she felt comfortable; secure even. Something that she wasn't used to feeling.
The sound of rustling alerted the two, and they looked to where Flowey had crashed. Thankfully, he remained unconscious, his body only turning a bit from the agony he must have been feeling. "Is he okay?" Frisk asked.
"Let's hope not," Ms. Tori replied, coldly, "How anyone could just lull an innocent person into a false sense of security, only to strike when they're most vulnerable makes my stomach turn. It's good that I found you when I did."
"Yeah, thanks again." Frisk said, sighing in relief.
"Listen, it's not safe around here," the goat lady explained, taking a hold of the young human's hand, "My home isn't too far, won't you join me?" Frisk was taken aback by her offer at first, but it sure sounded better than the alternative.
"Lead the way." she answered.