Toriel was a monster who once survived off of distraction.
During her time in self imposed isolation, distraction was all she had to fill the years and years of waiting within the lonely Ruins' walls. Without it, how could one hope to keep their sanity? With no one to really talk to for decades at a time, Toriel only had her distractions to keep her mental state from unravelling. She lost herself in those chores and meaningless activities, throwing everything she had into it, nurturing those ancient halls and her empty home when she had nothing else to direct all that energy towards. In all, keeping busy kept her mind from dwelling on all that had left her soul scarred.
When she was raking the scarlet leaves outside the front entrance, she didn't think about Asgore or the true horror of his actions. When she was hunting bugs for a potential element in whatever meal she'd planned, she didn't think about her children's devastating deaths. When she went to patrol the halls and check up on all the Ruins' traps and puzzles, she didn't think about all the human children she had failed to save. It didn't always work ideally, but it was all she had to keep from lying down and letting the inordinate despair swallow her up for good.
And though that time was now behind her, she still had a compulsion do something her mind saw as productive when something began to way on it. It was her go to way for her to properly settle her nerves when heavier thoughts made an effort to take hold. And today was certainly one of those days.
On a late summer's evening, a few weeks after the Dogi's visit, Toriel knitted in the comfort of her living room, listening to a nature program about snails in the background as it played on the television. The rhythmic movements as she dipped the hooks tied with thick colorful threads in, out and around kept her mind occupied, distracted. All that mattered in that moment was the knitted creation she was slowly bringing to life. Her children were with their father for the weekend, she had finished going over and tweaking the lesson plan for the school day tomorrow, and she had already packed Papyrus' lunch as well. A cheese sandwich with an apple and some milk. The sandwich being cut into something of a maze of course, just to his liking. It was a... complicated process to accomplish that, but seeing how happy it made him made it worth it.
Making his lunches for work at the school or the days he had classes at the local community college wasn't something she had to do. Indeed, Papyrus was showing himself to be improving in his cooking skills all the time when he chose to partake in them, and was displaying newfound levels of independence every day. If anything, his allowing her to prepare him a lunch every day was more a kindness to her than anything else. She pondered on that as she finished off another stripe of colored thread, a pale peachy pink, like the sky at dawn. Her mind drifted on from there, moving from safe subject to subject as though crossing the planks on a rickety bridge. Though the stable sections offered brief respite, she knew if she looked down, she'd see the chasm she was fighting not to fall into. That nagging, cruel, and incessant thought.
She missed a stitch and that snapped her focus back to the present. Amending the error, she began a new stripe, this one a pale blue, like that of freshly bloomed hydrangeas. The color also reminded her of something… some one else. Someone who been lightly dozing against her side on and off the past few hours. She spared a glance at him, noting that he actually wasn't wearing blue today, instead opting for that dark gray hoodie with the bone on it. His almost neon red sweatpants patterned with hotdogs along with the green striped socks on his feet were utterly, perfectly mismatched from that in a way that was so very him.
But she found that the expression on his face did not match with his silly attire. In fact, rather than sleeping like she had been expecting, she found that he was looking right at her as she met his gaze, implying he had been watching her. And the look her gave her, through sockets only about half open, betrayed that he was...suspicious. Concern and confusion also shimmered in the lights of his eyes, making her a little nervous.
"What is that look for?" She asked, a touch more sheepishly than she intended.
In truth, it was a pointless question. For she already knew the answer. She had been noticing him giving her odd looks like that as of late, always so quick to pick up on things... She had little doubts he was seeing through her ever-failing efforts to conceal her internal struggle. He didn't answer right away, and she could practically see the gears in his skull turning. The emotions he exuded intensified, though his expression held firm, and he finally sat up a bit to better face her.
"you're upset about something." He said, rather bluntly. "you have been for the past few weeks, but it's real bad today."
Toriel's paws froze mid-stitch and she felt the air catch in her throat some. There was a long moment where she debated on what to say in return, on whether to fess up or continue hopelessly dodge the issue. In the end, her loyalty to their previous vow made the decision for her. After all they'd been through, she just couldn't hide things from him like that anymore.
"I…" She she managed to get the word out, but it was soft and almost inaudible.
She swallowed and offered up a sort of sad smile as she lowered her knitting materials to her lap.
"I... suppose I am." She admitted in a slightly stronger voice, turning to meet his gaze. "I should have known you would be able to tell, my dear."
Sans blinked and his eyelights wavered slightly with a mix of emotions. He eased himself closer to her, his gaze becoming more imploring.
"why're you trying to hide it?" He asked, unable to keep a bit of hurt from seeping into his tone. "didn't we agree we weren't gonna... do that anymore?"
Toriel felt a pang in her soul at his response, sharp with guilt at her own thoughtlessness. She hung her head a bit as she voiced her apology.
"I am truly sorry, love. It is not that I do not wish to discuss it with you. I did intend to at some point... It is just…" She trailed off briefly, as she worried her lip with her fangs. "I am not sure how to properly put it into words. I am not even sure it is something I should be worrying about..."
Sans' brow ridges furrowed some at that, and his posture relaxed as he seemed to consider her words. Before he could reply, the small, white dog came trotting into the room inexplicably as though appearing from thin air. He hopped up on to Sans' lap and the skeleton spared the animal a grin and a few pets before returning his attention back to Toriel.
"is it the reason why you seemed off after dogamy and dogaressa left that first day they came over?" He asked, absently scratching behind the dog's ears.
The assumption hit the nail on the head yet again and she sighed quietly, still keeping up that empty smile.
"Yes…" She confirmed, meeting his eyelights again. "Nothing gets past you, does it, my dear?"
He seemed briefly struck by the question, as appeared as though he might offer some counter to that. But he settled on just offering her a shrug of his shoulders and a grin closer to his usual one.
"eh, i think i know you well enough by now to recognize when you've got stuff weighin' on ya. and i'm pretty sure you could say the same for me." He reasoned with a wink, before an air of seriousness returned to his expression and tone.
He moved one hand to rest atop her paw, letting it sink somewhat into the soft fur there.
"but seriously tori, you know can tell me about it." He said, as she turned her paw to gently envelope his small hand. "even if it's confusing or you think it's silly or whatever. if it's been bothering you this long, it's worth a chat at least."
He gave her paw a small squeeze of encouragement, a sentiment matched by the softness of his gaze. There was no getting out of this now, that much was clear. She let out a soft sigh, doing her best to direct the messy stream of thoughts into something coherent and orderly.
"Very well then, dear… It… would be better to get this off my chest." She conceded, before biting her lip again. "Though I must warn you… No matter how I articulate it... it may be a bit… well…"
She trailed off, not sure of the best word to use in this situation. Sans grin softened a bit more before he gave her a gentle little nudge with his elbow.
"come on tori, let's be real here." He said lightheartedly before his expression and tone sobered up some again. "i don't think it can compare to what i was hiding. if we got through that, we can handle anything."
Those words once again gave Toriel pause, as her mind flashed through all events that had unfolded when Sans had revealed to her the terrible truth of their world, along with the other dark secrets regarding his past and how deeply it had all been affecting him. It put her own worries in a new context, making them feel small and trivial in comparison.
If Sans could bring himself speak to her about such things, she could strike down her cowardice and tell him about these troubling thoughts. It was likely he didn't intend to stir trivialize her concerns, but she was somewhat grateful for it, if only because it made her see reason once more. He deserved honesty from her after everything they'd been through, there was question about that in her mind. Even about… this.
"Fair enough." She agreed, her eyes gaining a heaviness to them that was both new and old all at once..
She picked idly at the edge of her knitting project as her mind raced on, teasing the loose thread she'd failed to finish weaving into the design.
"Alright… how to begin…" She said, forcing more strength into her voice.
She narrowed her eyes in thought then softened her expression some as she settled on how she would tackle the issue at hand.
"Perhaps the best way to approach this is with a question for you Sans." She said, meeting his gaze once more.
He blinked in surprise at that, but nodded, indicating he was listening and on board with the idea.
"Do you... remember what it is that makes me immortal?" She asked, hesitantly.
The mix of emotions that passed through his eyelights and the way he seemed to deflate some told her the answer. But she still waited patiently for a direct one anyway, wanting to get a definite grasp on just how much of the situation he understood. The skeleton looked down and a couple beads of sweat formed on his skull. His set his jaw hard for a few moments before looking back up at her and answering.
"you... stopped aging when your kids died... right?" He said, though in a tone that suggested it wasn't really a question. "and with asriel especially... since you only age as he does."
Toriel nodded grimly, curling her claws slightly into her lap. She intended to vocally confirm his suspicions, but Sans pressed on, looking more worried for her as each moment passed.
"and judging from what we know… flowey doesn't do that for ya, huh?" He asked solemnly, again in a way that indicated he already knew the answer.
The question made an acute ache flare up in her soul, and by some instinct, Toriel looked towards the windowsill where her son often liked to be set on sunny days like this. The space was vacant at that moment, marked only by a faint round mark his flowerpot had left from the days and days of sitting there. She spared a thought towards the hope that he had a similar place at his father's house to take in the sunlight. Though any worries she might feel in that regard were truly pointless. There could hardly be any better place for a flower than what was practically a greenhouse.
Arranging how the children lived between two homes had been strenuous on her. There was little doubt about that. She was so used to having them around, caring for them everyday, that the days they spent in their father's care often passed by in slow motion, marked by moments of paranoid, irrational worries and old heartache. She was so grateful that Sans had so far stayed by her side during such times, no doubt sensing how hard it was for her. He kept them from feeling too much like those decades she'd spent alone in the Ruins. Though they did often remind her of another the memories she now had of another timeline... one that also involved the two of them spending much of their time with each other.
Thoughts of her regained memories always seemed to circle back to her son and his mysterious situation though, and his favored spot on the windowsill held her gaze even as she confirmed Sans' statement.
"No… the way he is now, our connection is severed, just as it is with Asgore." She said in a somewhat distant tone, eyes dulling some. "None of us seem capable of aging the way things are now."
Sans hummed in a soft, thoughtful manner, and she heard the the soft sound as he lazily tapped his socked foot against the floor. She made herself look back at him then, finding he was looking at the floor with a hardened sort of expression, one that showed what there was a lot going on inside that skull of his. The small white dog even seemed to notice the heavier atmosphere, looking between the two of them with head tilted in confusion. It was the dog nudging Sans a little that seemed to bring the skeleton back to the present, and he stroked the animal's head in a small thankful gesture. Though his expression remained stiffer than usual as he met her gaze again.
"so that's what you've been worrying about, not aging?" He asked, pressing against her a little bit more as though to offer a silent sort of support.
She appreciated the gesture, and would have returned it with an affectionate little headbutt or something if she weren't suddenly feel so very drained. For a monster seemingly clinging to eternal youth, or well, eternal fairly young motherhood perhaps, it didn't stop her from feeling her true age at times. If only regarding matters of the soul.
In an effort to keep her mind from drifting and to give her paws something to do, she picked up her knitting needles and began to work once more on the project she'd briefly abandoned. That didn't distract her from answering though, perhaps it even made it easier to get the words to flow.
"You did ask me once if my immortality ever "got to me" did you not?" She replied, answering his question with a question of her own. "It had not as much reason to back then, when it served a purpose for me… but now…"
She trailed off briefly, moving the needles with practiced care to begin a new row of stitches. This time it was yellow thread, bright and cheerful in stark contrast to the dark cloud hanging over the conversation at hand.
"Our lives now have the promise of permeance, of a future we can look forward to and believe in." She said, emotion becoming more evident in her voice. "We have all gained so much, and grown so much since arriving here. It has all become so important to me… and I just… I cannot bear the idea of watching all of you grow old while I remain just as I am… forever. The idea of it… it terrifies me."
Her paws trembled and she fumbled a stitch. But rather than amend it, she let the small error remain and continued on, though at a slower pace. Beside her, she could feel Sans' magic grow colder at her words, as he must be trying to picture the dire future event she was envisioning. She knew he understood how it felt to be immortal, albeit in a very different way. He also knew what it was like to watch others die as a lone survivor. But the almost subtle terror of what Toriel was describing still clearly too him off guard.
"ah geez… tori... i... i'm so sorry." He said in low, almost breathless tone.
It struck her enough where she had to pause in her knitting once more and look at him again. Pain for her sake dimmed the lights of his eyes, and the mixture of sympathy and heartache that emanated from his soul was enough make her own soul feel leaden in turn. He surprised her then by gently setting the dog down and moving to wrap his arms around what he could reach of her middle. He rested his skull against her side, turning it some as an affectionate gesture to press into her dress when he spoke again.
"i'd be lying to say i've never thought about what your immortality could mean for the future." He admitted softly, kneading the fabric of her dress a bit between his phalanges. "i guess i just didn't want to think about it… and it was hard to compete for thoughtspace in this ol' skull for a while, for anything beyond the resets that is."
There was perhaps the barest attempt of humor there once more, but it shriveled shortly after. When Toriel didn't promptly respond, Sans went on, all attempts at levity gone.
"It's a damn scary thought..." He reasoned sympathetically, heavy waves of unease rippling out from his soul. "i can see why all that would weigh on you…"
She looked away again as she found she couldn't leave out a key element to all of this any longer. But it was… not something easily put into words. At least without undue implications. There was no avoiding it, so she needed to approach it carefully...
"Well… there is a way to… rectify the situation." She began to hesitantly explain, starting to knit again in the same moment. "Though it would be a very serious choice… and no matter the circumstances, it would impact our whole family… and many others."
Sans seemed perplexed like that, quirking a brow ridge up at her quizzically. He seemed about to ask for more clarification when the realization hit him hard. Almost enough to leave him dazed.
" oh … oh… right" He breathed, eyelights shrinking a bit in his sockets. "you'd… you'd have to…"
When he trailed off and didn't complete the sentence himself, she finished it for him.
"I would have to have another child." She stated quietly, continuing to weave the colorful thread between the two needles. "As things stand now, it is… the only way I could possibly begin to age again."
Sans went silent at that, and the air around them suddenly felt heavy. It wasn't a negative weight per say, but she couldn't discern just what it was with any certainty, and that only made her worry more about how he was taking it. She finished the last two stitches of the row and still he had said nothing, so she paused and faced him again with nervousness pinching at her soul. Her face heat up a bit as she realized just how he might have taken all this. Even the dog seemed to look shocked.
"Now dear... listen, before you… overthink things, I am not asking anything of you." She clarified quickly, offering a weak smile. "I am not even sure this is something I should be considering as much as I have been. At least… for right now anyway."
Her expression sobered up a bit again, and the thoughts that had been stirring within her all those weeks came spilling out in jumble of words.
"And even if I was looking at the possibility, there are a lot more options open to monsters regarding such things nowadays compared to ancient times." She said, slipping into her teaching voice a little. "I have heard about how some monsters donate the magic to make that possible. I am sure if… I decided to pursue this someday… Alphys would be happy to help me explore my potential options."
Sans still just stared back at her, his expression uncomfortably difficult to read. She cleared her throat and regained her earlier somber expression.
"Though Sans… if this did happen, and that is still a big if at this point. I would not expect you to co-parent such a child or anything like that." She explained, figuring such thoughts must be at least part of what was causing him to seem so frozen. "It would be like how things are with my other children. You would no doubt play a role in that future hypothetical child's life with how things are now, but you would not have to take on any sort of... paternal role. This would be something I would choose to pursue myself, and I would take full responsibility for it."
She felt that should have covered things, made him relax again, but he still seemed off to her. But after a moment, he did blink and soften his eyelights with more recognizable emotions.
"would that… make you happy?" He asked with some hesitation.
She blinked, not expecting to hear that from him of all things. She tilted her head a bit, curiously.
"To not have to fear immortality any longer?" She asked.
Sans nervously shifted his hands within his hoodie pockets a bit before his expression softened up more.
"well yah that… but i also meant, like… having another kid, in that way. would that make you happy?" He asked, eyelights drifting downwards towards his socked feet "i know its uh… been a while for you."
The answer made his behavior clearer to her, if only just. And after a moment of pondering, a small but true smile appeared on her face and her eyes shone with fond nostalgia.
"Yes it has…" She confirmed, looking down at her knitting work. "And yes, It would be… an incredible honor to carry a child again. Pregnancy is a stressful and tumultuous process, but the rewards of it… why it would certainly outweigh any hardship I had to suffer."
Her smile strengthened and her eyes shone lightly as her soul grew warm within her. Her paw subconsciously drifted up to her middle, laying against her stomach as old memories drifted through her mind.
"It would certainly be incredible to bring a child into this new life we have built for ourselves." She said with a spark of excitement, voice becoming full of emotion. "Here on the surface where they would have so much more opportunity and freedom than those born Underground had. They would get to grow up under the light of the sun and stars, breathing the fresh air, with a whole world of places to explore and people to meet."
She closed her eyes for a moment, some of her earlier soberness returning, but not enough to rob the warmth from her soul. Sans just listened to her words in silence, and she could feel his and the dog's gaze on her all the while.
"Many a generation were denied all that… for far, far too long." She went on, curling her claws into the front of her dress a bit. "But those generations to come… like the Dogi's children… thinking of what different, brighter lives they will lead… it gives me such hope. And for all of us who are forever scarred by our experiences in the world below, I believe being part of raising and supporting the next generation will be greatly healing as well."
She smiled a little more at those sentiments, finding they made her soul stir within her. After a beat though, she realized she had just gone off into one of her tangents again. She cleared her throat and recomposed herself before going on.
"So… yes… to be able to have another child here on the surface… and to be able to age along with them into the future… That would certainly make me happy." She reiterated, in a far more stoic manner.
Sans continued to look up at her wordlessly, but it was not the same as before. The emotion in his eyelights was far less restrained, though understanding was the only one she could identify with confidence. When he looked down again, his brow bones knit together as he parsed through all she had just said. Usually, he would fidget a bit when he was thinking, drum his phalanges or mess with the drawstings of his hoodie, but this time he was almost unnaturally still. It was one of those moments where his lack of needing to breathe was made apparent.
She found herself moving before she realized what she was doing, but didn't stop when the compulsion was leading her to lean over and wrap him up in her arms. Like he had done for her before to the best of his ability, she gathered him close and rested her chin atop his skull. He didn't react with much surprise, used to her instinctual acts of affection at this point.
"All those worry lines do not suit you, my love." She murmured. "Please, do try not to dwell over this too much. I have no intention of making a decision about this right away. There would be so much to plan and account for if I did, after all. It could be quite some time before I can even fully wrap my head around the situation."
She rubbed his back a bit, tracing the shape of his spine under his plush clothing. It was an action meant to reassure him as well as herself.
"Everything will be fine." She assured in a stronger voice, putting the feelings into words as well. "Thank you, love… thank you for listening to me about all this. I know it must be a lot to take in..."
She waited then for him to reply, hoping her words had been enough to combat whatever had him so caught up over this. As much as all this weighed on her, she didn't want it to be a source of stress for him… not if she could prevent it anyway. He did indeed seem to relax shortly after as he leaned into the embrace and lightly return it. His stiffness didn't fade completely, but enough for her to feel satisfied. And when she gently released him from the hug, he spoke again in a tone that was far closer to his usual lighthearted one.
"heh… yah… alright tori. you're welcome. and thanks for telling me all that, couldn'tve been easy i'm sure..." He said, pausing for a moment as a few beads of sweat formed on his skull. "just… whatever you choose to do, if you decide to make that choice at some point... i'll support you, okay? you're a great mom, and you'd be a great mom to any other hypothetical future kids you may have."
Though he clearly wasn't done talking, he set his jaw for a beat, as though physically biting back further words that wanted to escape. But they eventually pushed passed whatever was holding them back, coming out in a quieter tone than usual, even for someone as soft spoken as he was.
"and… i'll… uh... do whatever i can to help."
That surprised her some, and she couldn't help but blink at him, rather nonplussed. It wasn't the words themselves exactly, they were rather what she had been expecting and hoping for, but rather that emotions behind it. He sounded… determined, which remained a rarity for him even for important things. Old habits die hard after all. But what reason exactly did he have for sounding that way about this situation? She had just ensured he understood that should she go down this road, it was something he wouldn't have to be deeply involved in. So why did he sound so dedicated, yet still somewhat conflicted?
Whatever the reason, she let it be for the moment, more inclined to thank him for his show of support. She nuzzled him lightly, and gently nudged her forehead against his skull in a show of affection. He let out a soft chuckle at that, nudging her back before carefully pulling her in for a kiss that left her lips faintly tingling with magic. His soul's emotions evened out more then, stabilizing to something more familiar, though to her perception, something still remained off.
After she thanked him once more, the initial topic of conversation steadily drifted away, replaced by quips and mundanities much more aligned with their usual conversations. She began to knit again as well, finding it far easier to work with much of the weight that had been plaguing her lifted off. It was only when Sans called attention to what she was creating that she slowed her rhythmic threading of the needles nearly to a stop again.
"uh… tori?" He said, eyeing her project uncertainly. "who are those socks for exactly? cuz' they're uh… pretty small."
She blinked, stopping her knitting entirely and looking down at her careful construction. They… were socks. She hadn't really consciously been thinking about making socks, though it shouldn't have been surprising, as they were often her project of choice. But she also hadn't been intending on making them so small… They were too tiny to fit on anyone in the household. As if they were made for…
She swallowed nervously and felt a blush form on her face, realizing that the subject of their conversation may have been influencing her outside actions as well as her thoughts.
"Oh…" She said softly, before a sheepish smile appeared on her face. "Oh dear, I suppose I was uh… not paying attention."
She held the tiny socks up in front of her between the needles. Embarrassing as it was that she had made them, they were coming along nicely and were all but complete, it would be a waste to discard them now. She relaxed again and forced her smile to return to its usual softness.
"I guess I will simply send these to the Dogi, for little Dogriel." She said, before thinking more on it and tapping a claw against her chin. "Ah, but I suppose… that might be showing an unfair favoritism, would it not?"
The only solution then was to just make a pair for all the puppies. Her mind raced with thoughts regarding how much time and materials such a task would require. It added up to something rather unreasonable, but she didn't see any way out of it now that she had put it into words. She must have looked a bit helpless, for Sans gave a soft chuckle then and gave her arm a pat.
"howsabout i help you out?" He offered, shifting a bit to stretch his arms over his head with a few noisy pops. "so you don't stay up all night making seven more pairs of socks by yourself."
The offer was wonderfully kind, but it still embarrassed her further. Nonetheless, she was quick to nod and accept.
"I would appreciate that, my love, thank you." She said, setting her own work down again in order to pick up and hand him the tin she kept her knitting supplies in. "Do you remember how I have been teaching you?"
"eyup." He confirmed cooly, taking the tin from her and starting to pick through the necessary materials inside. "it's actually kinda relaxing, and once you get the rhythm down you can do it with barely any thought, which is great if you ask me."
She giggled lightly at that as she began work on finishing up the sock between her paws. Beside her, Sans decided on what needles and thread colors he wished to use and set those in place on his lap, having to offer a conjured up bone attack to keep the dog occupied and off of him. He had selected shades of blue, purple, gray, and gold, very fitting for him indeed.
"You say that dear, but I am sure many would still find it socking to see you partake in such a thing." She teased lightly, happy when a pun came to her naturally like usual again.
It seemed to take Sans off guard, who looked at her with wide sockets before he snorted and began to laugh heartily at her joke, leaving him wheezing in its wake as did all her best puns. He wrapped an arm around his middle as he composed himself again, wiping the mirth from his sockets.
"wow tori, you got me good with that one." He wheezed giddily, before shooting her a wink. "it was really off the hook. "
And just like that, as a truly raucous laugh escaped her, they were pulled back into their usual, wonderful silly normalcy. It seemed then that the topic of discussion would be forgotten for the moment, pushed away by a wave of bad puns and lighthearted quips. But despite her attempts to banish his worries regarding the subject, she could tell it was still weighing on his mind.
For what reason, she couldn't be sure, but she'd let him try and sort that out for himself before potentially pressing him for any answers. She had sprung this on him rather suddenly after all, and no matter how she potentially went about this in the future, he would be involved in some way, if things remained as they were. It was only natural he'd need time to process what she was considering.
Still, she couldn't help but feel worried as she watched him quietly beginning to work the colorful thread through the needles beside her, again with that expression that was so difficult to parse. All that was clear was that he was deep in thought, something that always caused a subtle waver in his eyelights and furrowing of his brow ridges. What those thoughts could be continued to escape her perception, but she resolved to keep a closer eye on him until it became clear how he felt about the whole situation. She knew she'd never feel right about pursuing anything further otherwise.
Sans was quick to direct the conversation back to their usual banter though, long talks about anything and nothing in particular, with plenty of jokes and silliness worked in. So for the time being, the thought was left to the wayside once more as she and her dear skeleton knitted tiny socks for tiny puppy paws. All the while their own still unofficial dog of the house gnawed on a bone beside them. All leading into yet another good end to another overall good day for both of them.
But like before, such actions couldn't placate the idea that haunted her fully, only ward it off for the time being. Though this time, she wondered if she would be the one who truly suffered the worst of its effects when it chose to come to a head once more. Perhaps instead, it would be her dear skeleton who would next break the inevitable silence on the issue. But only time would tell.
And Toriel still had all the time in the world.
