This is the second time you've been deposited back at Toriel's house after something upset you. You're starting to feel like a crying child put in time-out, but the monsters are so earnest about it, you can't find it in yourself to be too mad. Toriel doesn't roll her eyes or seem impatient at all; she just enfolds you in one of her cinnamon-scented hugs and carries you inside, keeping you on one hip as she starts preparations for an early dinner. She seems to be fine working with just one hand, even though you're sure you're big enough to be heavy.

"Would you like to help, Frisk?"

Was that a hint? You nod immediately, even though no, you don't really want to do anything at the moment. She hands you a whisk and cracks a couple of eggs into a bowl. She sets it on the counter and you tug over a stepstool and get to work. Carefully, because you don't want to spill; with plenty of energy, because you remember Undyne's cooking lesson and the face she made when you petted her tomatoes. Lack of enthusiasm or not, doing something and being helpful makes you feel a little bit better.

The eggs are taking their time, though. "Human eggs?" you ask, pointing at the mix.

"Why no, Frisk, that would be cannibalism!" Toriel says brightly, pushing her homemade pie crust into the oven. "But they are real eggs from real surface chickens."

You snort reflexively, then frown. "What about you?" you ask.

"I'll have a small piece," Toriel says. "And I was thinking...what about an experiment? We can put some monster vegetables into the quiche and see how it tastes."

You nod. You've been missing monster food, so you're looking forward to it.

"A Vegetoid brought me some just yesterday," Toriel continued. "I hope they do not burn. Human food needs to cook for a long time!"

You finish with the eggs, and together you fold in the rest of the ingredients. She got bacon somewhere too, and cheese, and with the vegetables and the pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg that she adds you'd be lying if said you weren't hungry by the time the smell of it starts permeating the house.

It feels weird to want to eat, and you're worried you're going to start crying again. Toriel's sitting in her chair looking over what appear to be curriculum notes while she waits for the quiche to be done; she glances periodically over at you, a worried crease between her eyes. You climb into her lap for a little while and read over her shoulder, then get off again and walk through the house, prowling like a restless cat before going back to her. She's patient with it, and you're terribly grateful as you finally find a spot to settle, on the floor leaning against her shins. She reaches down and runs a hand over your hair.

"Little one..." she says uncertainly. "I know this must be difficult for you, but take as much time as you need, all right? There is no rush."

You shrug. Rush for what? There's nothing for you to do up here, after all. The Underground doesn't need saving anymore, and the monsters have their bright futures to get on with. Maybe you're just getting in their way.

Did you make the wrong choice, deciding to stay here?

The thought stills you, stops even your breath as you consider it. Leaving had never seemed like a real option before, but something's changed inside you, and you find yourself considering it. It still terrifies you, but you're starting to be scared of staying, too. What if it's always like this, just disappointment after disappointment? Getting in your friends' way, never again being as useful as you used to be...it doesn't sound like a happy future. It doesn't sound like something you want, for them or for you.

The oven dings, and Toriel gets up, but you stay where you are as she sets the quiche out to cool and starts setting the table, huddling against the warm place where her legs had been and trying not to think.

The quiche is delicious when it comes out, but it settles like stones in your stomach, dragging you down. You go to bed right after you're done eating, and run ahead of your dread headlong into sleep.


You were right to be worried. You dream of the small bird-monster that used to wait for someone to carry across the gap in Waterfall. In your dream, the bird's feathers are ruffled by the gentle wafts of breeze that come off the water, its wings flung askew at an unnatural angle. You can't look away until a familiar voice rings out, making you flinch and look instinctively up, and up and up to a large promontory. Undyne's shadow looms over you.

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO CHERISH THEM?!" she screams, and then her grief turns into anger, and she's yelling at you, like back when you first met her. "Your continued existence is a CRIME. You know what would be more valuable to everyone? If you were—"

You pull yourself back out of the dream by sheer force of will and wake up, slowly, painfully, with her voice still ringing in your ears. Undyne, ironically, trained you to be really good at knowing when to run away. And even if you are upset, you know she wouldn't say something like that to you anymore. Not even if it were true. Monsters are like that with their friends, and you're besties with her now. You're pretty convinced that as long as you don't actually kill anyone with your own hands, Undyne will at least hear you out on just about anything.

Which is good, because it was still an upsetting dream. That little bird really seemed to love getting everyone back and forth across that gap…will it be okay? You decide that you'll ask Undyne about it when you see her next. She'd know who to ask, if nothing else, since she used to live in Waterfall.


The next day, Toriel seems to be considering staying home. She hovers over you after waking you up, making sure you brush your teeth and your hair and sit down and eat your breakfast. You're not exactly hungry, but you're not really tired, either, so you do it all the way you would any other morning, and then let her know that she can go, not to worry about you.

"Are you sure, little one?" she asks, and it's obvious she's still worried. "I can stay with you. It is no trouble."

Of course it's trouble. She's a queen, or used to be, and she's getting closer and closer to returning to the role every day. You frown and all but push her out the door. You can understand the sentiment, and you're even grateful, but you don't think having her holed away with you would actually make you feel any better.

In fact, being holed away isn't helping you, either. You pull on your shoes and a sweater and scarf (both striped) and make your way out of the house yourself. You'll feel better after some exercise, you figure, or at least maybe being out in the open will help you think.


Only a few minutes after leaving the house, a flash of yellow in the corner of your eye makes you whirl around so fast you almost put a crick in your neck. It turns out you won't need to ask Undyne about the little bird after all—you just saw it carrying an improbably large load of supplies to the edge of town. Passersby stay safely out from under it and cheer it on. It's hard to tell from so far away, but it looks pleased.

Your heart somewhat lightened, you wander on, staying out of the way of the monsters you see passing by between the houses. You try a little bit harder to figure out what to do with yourself.

You consider your options. Undyne's been saying she wants to train you, but you don't feel very up to it today. (It's probably better to avoid her until you do. If Alphys doesn't get a pass from training, there's no way you will.) Papyrus is similarly dangerous, and you're never sure where to actually find Sans, and besides, all of them saw you the other day, and know everything that's happened, and it seems like it could be awkward being around them so soon after that.

You don't want to just wander off—you've been doing a lot of that lately, and it's been getting kind of lonely. You have a lot of friends, but a lot of them are also gossips, and monsters can be kind of...high energy. At this point, you think it's just the way they operate, and you don't want to bring any of them down.

So, then, who should you talk to? Not a monster who saw you in the Underground yesterday, or one who will be upset if you aren't bright and cheerful and looking for fun…

"Not feeling up to it right now. Sorry."

Suddenly, know exactly who you want to visit.


A/N: All of Undyne's speeches are intense, but I think the one she gives during the pacifist route is one of the harshest given its context. Plus, that rant is the only one this Frisk would've heard, so I decided to reference it in their nightmare.

Also, sorry for the wait! It's been a busy several weeks. Plus, I couldn't seem to fit all the scenes I wanted into this chapter, so I kept it shorter instead for the sake of pacing. There's a certain homebody (home-disembodied? Well, either way) ghost to look forward to in the next chapter, though, so there's that.

Thanks for reading!