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Nico gets an idea on how to contact the surface the next day. He runs into the kitchen to tell Toriel his idea, his tiny spider friend clinging to his hood so it doesn't fall off. He slides up to her, seeing as the kitchen floor is a wonderfully smooth tile and he hasn't bothered with shoes.
"Tori! I was thinking about camp last night, and started thinking about how there isn't anyone at camp to give food offerings to my dad!"
Toriel pauses in her work on chopping vegetables to look at him.
"Okay, my child, but why are you so excited about it?"
Nico hops lightly on the balls of his feet, "It reminded me that I can burn anything and it'll go to whichever god or goddess I pray to! It'll appear on their alter. So I could burn a note and send it off to my dad, Mr. D, Hermies, Iris, or even Hestia and they could get word to camp!"
Nico's beaming, so excited he can't stand still. It makes Toriel happy to see him acting more like a fourteen year old boy should.
"That's wonderful Nico! What do you need to get your message out?"
"Some paper, a pen or pencil, and an open flame. I'm not sure if the fireplace will work, seeing as it's not particularly hot."
"Do not worry about that part, I have a way for you to burn it. In my room, there's a notebook and a pen sitting on my desk, feel free to use blank pages out of that."
Nico nods and runs off down the hall and Toriel goes back to her cooking. He slows down as he reaches Toriel's room, and opens it carefully. He looks around, and spots her desk close to the door. He's about to close the notebook when he sees an entry circled in red. His spider friend crawls down his arm, stopping on his hand so he can look at it too.
He reads it aloud, "Why did the skeleton want a friend? Because she was feeling bonely..." Nico goes silent for a moment as what he's read sinks in, then his face cracks in two, and a tiny giggle escapes, "That's possibly the worst pun I've ever read."
Still smiling, he scoops up the book of puns and a nearby pen as his small friend climbs back to the warmth of his collar. He jogs back to the dinner table, and opens the book again. He flips through the pages, reading the occasional pun as he goes. He finally finds a blank page, and tears it out neatly. He pauses for a moment, trying to decide who he wants to write first. He settles on his dad, seeing as that was probably the best way to avoid any unnecessary anger. If your kid goes missing, you expect to be the first person they get in contact with. So he starts writing out a quick letter to his dad.
It read, "Hey, Dad. I know I kinda disappeared again, so I figured the first person I should write should be you, so you don't worry or something. I'm in this place called the Underground, no relation to the Underworld. I'm fine, and safe. I'm staying with this nice goat monster lady named Toriel. She's going to try and help me get out. I tried shadow traveling back the way I came, but I hit this thing Toriel calls the barrier. I guess it blocks signals, magic, and souls. Makes it hard to leave or get a message out. I'm going to do my best to keep you and the people at camp updated, but it might get a bit sporadic if I can't find anywhere to burn the paper."
Nico pauses for a moment, trying to think of what else to say, then he writes, "Sorry I haven't been able to send you any offerings. Toriel's butterscotch cinnamon pie is delicious, I'll send you a piece with this note. Hopefully it'll make up for it? I have a lot to tell you about, once I get out of here of course."
He ends it there, and signs the bottom. He rips out a second page and writes a note to Mr. D next, asking him to please let the camp know he was okay and would be back soon. He planned to send him a piece of pie as payment as well. He sets the notes aside, then walks back to the kitchen. Toriel has finished chopping vegetables, and is washing off the cutting board in the sink.
"Toriel?" he asks
"Yes, my child?" she replies.
"Could I send off a couple pieces of pie too?"
She turns and smiles.
"Of course, my child, I'll cut two pieces for you. Have you finished writing?" she says.
Nico nods. Toriel dries her hands and gets a clean knife out. She neatly cuts two slices of pie, and carries them into the table.
Nico asks, "So how are you going to burn them?"
"I have fire magic, will that work?" she replies.
Nico's eyebrows raise, but he nods his head. He places his notes on the pie slices.
"I don't see why not. Let's do the one in your right hand first, that's the one to my dad. I'll point to you when you should burn it, okay?"
Toriel nods, and Nico gives his normal prayer to his father. Once he finishes, he looks up and points to her hand. The pie and the note are gone in a instant, and a beautiful smell fills the air. Nico smiles, it worked.
"Okay, now the next one." he says.
He says a similar and equally brief prayer to Mr. D, then signals Toriel to burn the pie. With both pies sent off, Nico feels a weight lifted off his shoulders. A lot of stress gone from the relief of letting people know he was safe. He wasn't exactly sure if Mr. D would tell everyone for the price of a piece of pie, but it wasn't like the gods could send it back to him the way it came. He'd just have to hope that he would deliver the message. Nico makes a mental note to send a few more sacrifices to the camp director when he got the chance.
"I'm assuming it worked, my child?" Toriel asks.
"Yeah, thanks for the help, Toriel. I think I need to start getting all my stuff together for my trip. Is that okay? Or do you need help with dinner?" Nico replies.
"No, I'll be fine. Let me know if you think of anything you might need that you don't have, all right my child?"
Nico smiles and nods. He and his small passenger go back to his temporary room. He'd taken all the things he'd collected out of his jacket pockets and left them against the wall opposite his bed the night before. He starts reorganizing them now. If he kept finding things at this rate, he'd have to buy a bag or something to keep all his stuff in. It'd also be nice to keep his blanket from camp in, seeing as he might have to sleep in some uncomfortable places. A blanket would make things just a little bit more comfortable, and it smelled like home, so he wouldn't be leaving it behind. Nico finishes ordering his few items, and has a mental list of things he will probably need and doesn't have when Toriel calls him to dinner. He leaves the rest for later, and walks to dining area with his tiny friend hopping excitedly on his shoulder. He wasn't sure why the tiny spider like hanging around him so much, but it was nice company, so Nico wasn't complaining.
Toriel sets a steaming piece of snail pie on his plate, and a smaller slice for the spider. Nico is surprised to find that he likes it. The strangest thing about it is the texture, but other than that, it tastes like regular pot pie. He insists on washing the dishes, and Toriel insists she at least do the drying. Once everything is clean and put away, Nico turns to Toriel.
Nico asks, "Do you think you could come look over my stuff? I have a few things I think I'll need, but I'd feel better if you gave me your thoughts on it too."
She replies, "Of course, my child. What are you planning on taking?"
Nico replies as they walk down the hall.
"I have a donut and a jug of cider from the spider bake sale, a ribbon I found on the way here, and my blanket that I fell down here with. I think all I really need is a backpack, and maybe some more food. Oh, and maybe something to start a fire with? Then maybe I could sent stuff home with some consistency."
Toriel nods, and replies as she opens the door to his temporary room.
"Maybe you should take a pillow and some gloves too. It can get very cold in the area right outside the ruins. I'll see what I can do about the fire, so don't worry about that. Oh! Is your spider friend going to go with you?"
Nico turns his head to see his tiny friend's reaction. It's jumping up and down happily again. Nico smiles.
"I'll take that to mean you're excited to go?"
It nods, and Nico giggles quietly when it nestles down decidedly.
Toriel says, "I'll be sure to pick up a few things for them as well then. Do you want to come shopping with me? Then we can make sure everything is in order and will work for you."
Nico nods, and starts picking up all his things again. Toriel picks up his carefully folded blanket, and drapes it over her arm.
"Ready?" she asks.
"Yeah, let's go. Where are we going to buy this stuff anyway?"
Toriel leads the way back to the front door.
"There's a way to the capital back this way. There are a few store I'm a regular at, and they won't say anything about my company. They've never done so before, anyway. Come along, they will all be closing in about two hours, so we have to be fast."
Nico matches Toriel's long strides as she leads them around a corner to the left, away from the pathway Nico is familiar with. Toriel is quick and sure with the turns she makes as they walk down the twisting streets. Nico would have quickly become lost if she wasn't there leading the way. There first stop is to a store with shelves of tiny clothing. Toriel waves to the strange hedgehog looking monster behind the counter, then leads Nico to one of the shelves. There's a sign hanging from one of them, and Nico has to stifle a laugh when he reads it. Instead of giving a number for size, it simple says, "teeny." His spider friend was that, so he guesses that the clothes should fit. They found a subsection for eight legged monsters, and the spider climbed up onto his head to get a better look at the clothing. Toriel starts handing tiny sweaters to the spider, seemingly at random. His tiny friend was probably pointing to the ones he wanted to get a closer look at. Most of the sweaters were handed back to Toriel to be put back on the shelf, but a couple where waved down in front of his face. Nico carefully took these ones, and looked them over carefully. Nico's favorite of the bunch was a dark blue one, with teeny tiny snowflake patterns. They ended up buying four tiny sweaters, a tinsey hat and scarf, and the smallest set of boots Nico had ever seen.
They pay for the clothes and stash the tiny plastic bags in Nico's coat, then make their way to another section of the store. Here, the shelves are displaying small blankets and pillows and similar bedding. Nico spots a fluffy cushion made of fabric similar to his collar. He picks it up and holds it at eye level for his spider friend. He can feel it making it's was down from his head, it's steps hurried and excited. It goes zipping down his arm, and onto the fluffy cushion. It's a good size for them, big enough to stretch out on, but not so large that Nico wouldn't be able to spot it sleeping. Toriel giggles at the spider's antics as it snuggles down firmly on it's new bed. Nico holds it steady carefully, and they make there way to the shelves full of blankets. They find a bunch that are sewn into a pouch, and Nico slips a warm looking one onto the cushion. It's a little big, but his spider seems happy with it, so they buy them both and head back out onto the street.
They wander through the streets a bit longer than Nico expected they'd have to, but they soon reach a store advertising backpacks and other bags. Nico finds one he likes almost as soon as they walk into the store. It's made of lightweight and sturdy looking black leather. It looks to be a good size, definitely enough room for his current stuff. He turns to Toriel, who looks surprised at his quick decision. He rubs the back of his neck and laughs sheepishly. She leads him to the checkout counter, giggling softly. After seeing how pricey the bag is, Nico insistantly gives Toriel half of his remaining drachmas. She seems hesitant at first, but once he points out the fact that she's already done so much for him and his friend, she's more willing. They walk to a store selling clothes that match human body shapes, and Toriel fusses with warm mittens and scarves and hats for a good twenty minutes. Nico just smiles fondly and rolls his eyes every once in awhile when he's feeling particularly exasperated. With their arms loaded with bags, they make their way back to the ruins. They walk a lot slower than they did on the way here, and they chat quietly the whole way.
"So what's with the puns?" Nico asks.
Toriel blushes a little, but smiles.
"I've always been fond of making puns, even before I moved to the ruins. I only started writing them down recently though," she replies
"Oh? Why the change?"
"One day, I was sitting downstairs, my back to the door leading to the rest of the underground. I was feeling especially lonely, and sad. But then, someone knocked on the door, and said, 'Knock, knock.'" Toriel deepens her voice, mimicking a man's, "Naturally, I replied, 'Who is there?' 'Dishes.' 'Dishes who?' 'Dishes a very bad joke.'"
Toriel giggles, and Nico laughs quietly with her.
Toriel continues, "It'd been a very long time since I had someone to tell jokes with, and I really needed to laugh. He kept telling jokes, and I kept laughing. Once i managed to catch my breath, I told him one. It's become a regular thing, so I write down some so I don't run out of material."
Toriel is smiling brightly, and Nico finds it contagious.
"I'm glad you have someone to talk to," Nico pauses, when a thought occurs to him, "Hey, wait, if this is the door to the rest of the Underground, do you think I'll meet him?"
Toriel nods, "Yes, I think it is very likely. Anyway, come along, my child. It's getting late, and you'll need your rest so you can use your powers again. You'll need them if you're going to make it safely through the Underground."
Nico gets the feeling that Toriel doesn't want to talk more about the door, or the trip. He doesn't mind, so he lets her change the topic. He wants them both to be able to enjoy the time they have left together. They talk the walk home away, and Nico packs his new bag neatly. His spider friend slept the whole way on its new bed, so Nico sets it carefully on the table, next to the lamp. He snuggles into the warm quilt on his bed, but even after walking around all day, Nico can't seem to fall asleep. After tossing and turning for what he guesses is an hour, he quietly walks back into the bookshelf by the fire. If he can't sleep, he might as well read for a bit.
He pauses in the doorway, Toriel is still up, sitting in her usual spot in her armchair. She's looking into the fire, a serious and sad look on her face. Nico hesitates, then quietly walks to her side.
"Toriel? Are you alright?" he whispers.
She jumps a little, then turns to face him.
"What? Oh, what are you still doing up, my child?"
Nico's brow furrows at the deflection, and he crosses his arms, waiting for an answer. Toriel sighs.
"I am fine. I was just thinking about the other children that have been in my care. I've taken care of eight other than you. Only one of then was my own, the rest where human children that had fallen much like yourself. Other than being a godly descendant of course. I loved them all."
Nico sits down on the floor next to her legs. He wants to know what happened to them, because she would sound so sad if they were still around, but he's already got an idea. If she wants to keep talking, she can, he will listen. He won't force her, though. He hates it when his friends make him feel obligated to tell them his problems.
"The first was adopted into our family, before Asgore and I split. Their name was Chara. One day, they became sick. We tried everything, and at times it seemed like it was working. But the next day, we would wake to find their condition had become even worse. They soon died. Asriel, my son, absorbed their soul to fulfill his sibling's dying wish. They wanted to see the golden flowers that grew in their village, one last time. Asriel came back covered in wounds, still holding Chara's body. He turned to dust in my arms."
Fat tears are rolling down Toriel's face, now. Nico reaches up, and pats her knee, leaning on her to try and give her some comfort.
"Asgore, in his anger and grief, made a new law. It stated that all humans that fall into the underground are to be killed for their souls. It would take seven to break the barrier." Toriel's voice suddenly turns cold. "But he's a coward. With one soul, he could go through the barrier like Asriel had, collect six more souls, then break the barrier. Instead he waits here, hoping that another human won't fall so he won't have to kill another. He gives the people hope for freedom when he could have given it to them years ago."
There's a moment of silence while Nico makes sure Toriel is finished.
"Could you tell me about the others?"
Toriel looks surprised, but she nods.
"The second child, the first to fall while I was living here on my own, was a small girl. She always wore this ribbon in her hair, and it look so cute! No one in the ruins wanted to hurt her for it. She was so small and was always patient with the monsters she spent time with. She fancied herself a scary rogue thief, and always carried around a toy knife to practice with. She never hurt anyone, though."
Nico smiles, his idea to get her to remember what they were like was working. He did this a lot by himself, whenever he found himself missing Bianca.
"She sounds nice. What about the others?"
Toriel and Nico end up talking about her children for a good two hours. He learned about a young boy with the heart of a lion, who always wore gloves and a bandana, because he thought it made him look tough. He learned of a preteen, with glossy black hair slicked into a tight bun. Her morals were high, and her ballerina outfit elegant. Of the small indian girl with glasses and a worn notebook, who wrote down everything she felt like she needed to remember so she couldn't forget like she would everything else. Of the older boy with an apron and frying pan, that would give food to whoever they met with a happy smile. And lastly, of the rambunctious little boy with a cowboy obsession, who would 'shoot' anyone who wasn't being fair. Toriel had told him their names, but he doesn't bother to remember them. As horrible as it sounds, it's not like he'd run into them later, right?
After Toriel had finished her stories, and her tears had dried, Nico stands and pulls her to her feet. They walk back to their respective rooms, both ready for sleep after their emotionally draining talk.
The next morning, Nico wanders out to the kitchen, sleepy spider sitting on his shoulder. Torie's already up, and a delicious smell from what he assumes is breakfast is flowing down the hall. He smiles when Toriel turns to look at him, and she smiles back, but the sad look in her eyes makes the grin fall from Nico's face. He walks forward, and places a hand on her arm. She pulls him into a hug, and Nico can hear quiet sobs. He rubs soft circles on her back, and soon she's standing upright again.
"I am sorry, my child. I wanted this to be a happy day, especially after all we talked about last night. But I am afraid I have grown to care for you much more than I though."
Nico shakes his head, "Please don't ever feel sorry for something like that. Can I ask you something?"
Toriel nods her head as she wipes her face with the back of her hand.
"If it doesn't work out, if I can't find a way to go through the barrier, can I come back and live here?"
Toriel looks surprised, but she quickly recovers, and smiles happily.
"Of course, my child! I'd be happy to have you."
Nico grins. He hopes he can make it out and back to his friends at camp, but living here would be a good backup plan in case it doesn't work out. He sets the table for Toriel, then helps carry in all the food she's made. They eat breakfast together, chatting aimlessly. Once the food is eaten, and the dishes washed and put away, Nico walks down the hall to his room. His spider friend crawls up to its usual spot on his jacket collar, dressed and ready in the clothes they bought the day before. Nico follows his small friend's lead, and wraps himself up in the warm accessories Toriel got him. He packs away the fuzzy cushion the spider slept on last night, then slings his backpack over his shoulder. When he walks back into the dining-sitting room, Toriel is waiting for him, holding something behind her back.
Toriel says, "It took me a few tries, but I managed to make something that should let you burn your offerings whenever you need to."
She reveals her surprise, a blue tinted glass mason jar with a wire mechanism holding the glass top in place, with a small fire burning happily inside. Nico steps forward curiously, there wasn't anything for the fire to burn in the jar AND the lid was shut tight. By all means, that fire should be out by now. Yet there it was, flickering cheerfully. The only explanation Nico can think of is, of course, that it's a magic fire and probably doesn't work the same as the fires he's used to. He reaches out, and Toriel hands it to him. The jar is warm, but not burning hot. He could burn offerings with every meal, with this. It'd make a good hand warmer, too. He smiles at Toriel.
"Thank you, this is really amazing. No way am I getting cold with this and all the clothes you bought me."
Toriel laughs, "That's true. Though I will probably still worry while you're gone, my child. It is in my nature, after all."
Nico snickers quietly, "Yeah, you're a real momster."
Toriel cackles, then says, "That was very good, I think I've rubbed off on you. Is it all right if I call and check up on you every once in awhile? Maybe not everyday, but often enough for me to know where you are?"
Nico nods. Toriel smiles sadly, and pulls him into another hug.
"Do you have everything you need, my child? Did you remember the extra slice of pie?" she asks.
"Yes, and yes. Thank you again, Tori. For everything. I'll be sure to call you when I get the time too. Don't think too much on it if I don't pick up, I might be busy or I might nor hear it. Or better yet, it might be dead. The point is, I'm not ignoring you, and probably not hurt. I'm good at dodging and running for my life, so the likelyhood of that is pretty slim."
Nico gives Toriel his best, 'Don't worry, I've got this.' Smile. It only kind of works. Toriel still has a small worried crease between her eyebrows, but she smiles back. She ruffles his hair, then waves him forward as she makes her way to the stairway leading to the basement. Nico looks around curiously at the sudden change in atmosphere. Upstairs was cheerful and homey, but the basement was cold and a feeling a dread hung in the air. Toriel offers him a hand. Under different circumstances, he would probably be against the hand holding, but it might be the last time he sees her. They go around a corner and reach a door. Toriel stops, and turns to face Nico. They're silent for a moment, and Nico thinks he hasn't see Toriel make such a grave face before. EVen when she was explaining about her children, she looked more sad. Now it was like she had put on a stone mask, mentally preparing herself for the very worst.
"I'm sorry my child, but I don't think I can bare to take you any farther than this. It's a straight hallway after this door, then the door that leads to the forests near Snowdin."
Nico nods, matching her serious tone. He hugs her, and she pets down his hair. She pulls away, and goes back down the hallway. Nico watches her go, and waves sadly when she looks back. He pushes open the door, and just as Toriel said, there's an extremely long hallway. He pushes his sadder emotions down, and starts down in. He can talk to Toriel later, this isn't really goodbye. He stops walking as he realizes the connotations of what he's he's thinking. He wants to break the barrier, that's what not saying goodbye to Toriel no matter what means, right? That even if he finds a way to leave, he's bringing at least Toriel and maybe Napstablook if he wants to come. He's surprised at himself when he finds that his heart lifting. He smiles, and laughs. Yeah, there's no way he's going to leave his new friends down here to rot.
The thoughts of finding a way to save his friends fills him with a new wave of determination to move forward.
AAAaaaayyye, thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews! You guys know who you are, I've read them all, and they made me smile :3 I'll try to get back to those of you who have specific questions, but I'm trying not to spoil anything that's going to be revealed in the story. Thanks again!