"Thank you for the recipe, Toriel. I might be going closer to home, but it's gonna be like I'm going away from it, if you know what I mean. Your soup is gonna do wonders."
Yes, yes. "Remember to simmer instead of boiling when it starts to thicken. It brings out the flavors a bit better, I've found."
The Royal Guard bows, revealing her tail waggling like a flag in a hurricane. "I will, take care."
"You too, good luck with your new placement."
The Royal Guard bows again before exiting the tavern.
"She really didn't have to enter the way she did," Toriel whispers harshly to herself while shaking her head and placing upright the chairs the guard knocked over in her desperate haste to talk with Toriel. "Greedy with power."
The tavern returns to its more homey murmuring now that the barging Royal Guard has left. Toriel meets a patron who taps his skull with a talon. Toriel shrugs back at him, and he does as well while looking out the door the guard just left through with eyes that could pierce armor.
"We're still allowed to operate?" Toriel's boss asks as she switches place with him in the kitchen.
"Yes, she just wanted to know the Seven Sowls recipe. Apparently she's is being moved from the castle here to one half the country away, and she wanted something to remember this city."
Toriel takes the potato peeler handed over to her which she places on the counter next to her. "Did she really have to burst in like that and demand your presence?" Toriel's boss wonders with his ears flopped down and his eyebrows raised.
"No, don't think so in the slightest."
"Strange."
"You tell me."
/
"I don't believe such magic exists, my prince. Not even the humans know of such, I believe. What were you planning on shrinking?"
"Oh, no, I didn't have anything planned," Asgore lies as earnestly as he can. "I was just curious, that's all."
The priestess nods. "I heard that you managed to manifest your magic earlier today. My congratulations. It'll serve you well during your reign. If you wish we can shift your studies to enhancing your bond with it. Learning to wield it mentally as well as physically. I trust Gerson will be eager to handle the latter part."
Asgore flexes his hands. He's feeling soar all over, almost flu like. He's feeling pretty drained as well. He's been tensing his magic as well as his limbs, so it's not a complete surprise to him that he's feeling a bit under the weather now.
His back is in a bit of a hurt as well after Gerson's, arguable, motivation, or whatever Asgore will decide to call it when it's but a memory to him. Putting what he did on Asgore's back only to rip it straight off is...not really something Asgore should go through more times than one.
As if Gerson would agree.
Still, at least Asgore sneaking out to meet Toriel is still safe with him. Asgore is gonna have to be a bit more careful next time he does it, even if Gerson believes he's solved the problem. He's aware, so Asgore is gonna have to be extra sneaky.
Perhaps he should wander the castle a bit to find another way instead of descending down his tower. If he's gonna go through with what he plans to he should probably find another way. He almost slipped when it was just himself descending, and next time he's bringing with him at least a couple of barrels.
Too bad there's no shrinking spell, but if there were, it would probably sour the wine.
The priestess leans carefully into Asgore's view. "My prince?"
Asgore blinks to bring himself back out from his mind. "Huh? Oh, yes, nothing more. You're free to go."
The priestess nods gently. "As you wish. I will make some changes to your meditation schedule to help you bond more with your weapon."
"Sounds good. See you then."
The priestess bows deeply before closing the door behind her, leaving just a crack…
That's it!
"Wait, before you leave!"
The priestess opens the door ajar and pokes her head and long bunny ears inside again. "Yes, my prince?"
"How are the reparations on the south wall going? Is it sealed yet?"
The priestess has to think for a bit before she remembers. As she tilts her head up again her ears smack against the top of the door frame with a soft thud before bending underneath it. "You're talking about the damage done when you practiced your fireball that you meant to show during the parade? The one that blew out the castle wall?"
She didn't have to go into that much detail…
"If so, no, it hasn't been sealed completely. An illusion has been put up to hide the damage, and only a select trusted few know about the damage. Magic to detect anyone entering through it has also been placed as a safety measurement. If someone enters it we will know, I assure you that."
Asgore nods in acknowledgment. Actually, come to think of it, he would like a bit more detail about the hole. Could it fit a Boss Monster carrying a couple of wine barrels under his arms, perchance?
"I'd like a report of the damages as soon as possible."
The priestess bows, slipping her ears back inside the room. "I will arrange it for you at your supper."
"Thanks, you are free to go, again."
The priestess chuckles, but Asgore knows it's from obligation.
Now, how to get a hold of the barrels?
/
"Good working today, Toriel. See you tomorrow!"
Toriel gives a friendly wave to her boss before closing the door behind her. She carefully nestles the packaged sandwich into her bag so that the paper around it doesn't unwrap, and then heads off towards home.
It's a cloudless night today. Just like yesterday…
Toriel's lips pout into a frown as she lowers her head. Just look straight forward. Furrow your brow so that it covers the night sky as well. Yes, you look silly doing that, but not as silly as you were yesterday with…
Stop! Get out! Out of Toriel's head!
He's gone, long gone. Up in his castle where he belongs! Far away from Toriel, that's all that matters.
"Just as starry as it was yesterday, don't you agree?"
…
"I've left the lamppost here unlit for now, but if you want it lit I can do that."
Toriel can do nothing but blink while staring into the horizon.
"Sorry, that sounded better in my head. I'll ignite it since I can barely see. I almost stumbled over the curb before."
Toriel draws a short gasp as she feels the Prince's magic again.
How? Why? How again?
The sound of scratching of a full beard rings through the night. "I'm guessing you didn't think you'd see me again. To be honest, neither did I. I've been waiting here for a couple of hours now. Didn't know your work hours differed this much. That's on me though."
Why…
"I heard a couple of guards whisper something about a supposed break in where we were yesterday. They don't have any leads though, and nothing was found missing, so I think we're in the clear about that. If I find them finding something I will direct their attention elsewhere. Can't have it leak out that the prince have been climbing random store buildings to drink wine on said store's roof, now can it?"
The uncomfortable chuckle bounces a few too many times around the empty street.
"Why are you here?" Toriel asks without turning her head. Her grip on the strap of her bag tightens as she wrings it. "Why did you come here?"
Asgore sighs. "I...I enjoyed myself last night." He scratches his beard again, judging by the sound of it. "And I think you did too. It was the vibe I got until...well." A brief and silent pause flushes around Toriel like a stiff breeze. "I'd like to do it again, that's all I want to say."
…
"For what it's worth, I'm truly sorry for lying to you. It's just…I couldn't come out from the beginning to tell you who I was. I was planning on telling you, I promise, but you found out yourself."
Toriel nods, still with her eyes locked on the horizon. "That I did…prince."
/
Poison. Pure poison. Dripping from her tongue.
/
"Again, I beg for your forgiveness."
"Forgiveness?" Toriel's cheek pulls involuntarily into a smile. "The prince begging a commoner for forgiveness?"
"Why is that amusing to you?" There's sincere curiosity in his voice, and not the amused sort. It sounds...hurt, like he doesn't understand. Genuinely doesn't understand. He has to though, he just has too. He's the Prince! Title and everything! He lives in the castle! How can he not know how wrong him begging Toriel for forgiveness sounds? Is he that blind to it? He can't be that stupid!
No, he can't. So...maybe…
No! He's lying! Again! Lying again to get her sympathy. Disgusting!
She's had enough of this! She'll just leave and…and…
Toriel shakes her head and clears her throat.
She'll leave...and...and…
Dammit!
"You don't know?" she asks, cursing herself in the meantime for asking. Why is she giving him the benefit of doubt? He's just gonna lie again! Go! Get out of there!
But she doesn't move.
"No, I honestly don't."
See! Big fat lie! How can he not know?
"Is it because I'm the Prince?" Asgore asks, almost as if Toriel's accused him of murder. "Just because of that?"
Yes! It's...because… Of course it is! Of course it is…
"Yes..." Toriel nods, but it's reserved. It's almost as if- "It's because you're the Prince..."
"I see."
He sounds...sad, hurt.
/
So that's how it is…
/
"I..." Toriel can't find the words. Too many are flooding her mind, but she can't pick any to say. "I just..." Her hands clutch her strap even harder. "Yeah," she averts her head further away from the Prince, "it's because you're the Prince."
A silent beat passes, deafening in its silence. Toriel feels its entire weight pushing down on her.
"So just because I'm the Prince?" Asgore repeats through a whisper. "My title is the reason?"
Toriel nods, again with her eyes locked forward. Her head is starting to spin, and she tries to steel herself. Because of that she can only muster a nod even though she wants to say so much. What she actually wants to say is what's spinning her head though, clamping her mouth shut.
"Not because of who I am, but because of who I am?"
Again Toriel nods, but it's weaker. She barely feels herself nodding, it's so faint.
"Do you now know why I didn't say that I was the Prince, Toriel? I lied, but this is what the truth would've gotten me had I come out with it directly. At least I got to spend a few moments with you, which was all I really wanted. I understand if that sounds egoistic, because it probably is. In any case, I enjoyed my time with you, Toriel, and I brought you these as thanks. I'm not saying I want you to remember me with these, nor do I feel that I have to reimburse you. This is not payment for your time, but I do want you to have these as a reminder of the one we spent together. We both enjoyed it, and if it becomes a happy memory to you as well, then I will be content with it."
Two large barrels are placed in front of Toriel. She feels her soul and throat tighten as she glances the sigil on them.
"These are from my family's personal reserves. I took it that you enjoyed what I brought with me last night. You also mentioned the embargo."
A note sealed with the Royal Stamp is also placed on one of the barrels.
"With this you'll be able to place more orders should you want. I've argued in the favor of your tavern being a Royal Supplier, so therefor it should have access. It won't be traced back to you and me meeting, so please don't lose sleep over that as well. You won't be able to order the family reserves, since they're only for the family and all that, but I hope that these two will serve you well enough."
Asgore's shadow disappears behind Toriel.
"Farewell, and good luck in your future, Toriel."
His footsteps turn fainter and fainter with each eternal second that passes. Toriel's breathing quickens, and she's forced to cover her mouth with her hand to stop it from echoing loudly around her, and possibly to him. Her vision starts blurring as a pair of tears form in her eyes.
She dries them off with her finger. One of them hangs for a moment on the tip before falling off.
Why…
He's the Prince! He's...he's everything Toriel's been…
Her throat tightens further, and she has trouble swallowing.
Why is he…
A faint choke escapes her lips.
No, not a choke.
A sob.
A pained one. It echoes, not throughout the buildings around her, but inside her. Inside, her very soul is shaken by the sob. She wants to...but she can't! She can't do that! It's unfair! It's…
It's even more unfair if she doesn't.
"Sorry."
But no one came.
Her quiet whisper peters out, not even strong enough to move the note on the barrel right below her.
It's too late.
"Forgive me."
Toriel's back straightens out, almost as if someone came and dragged her up like a marionette. Her head turns around quickly, leaving her ears dangling shortly after, smacking her on her cheeks.
Asgore takes a step back with his palms facing Toriel. "I-" He interrupts himself with a chuckle born out of Toriel startling him with her sudden twist of her neck. "I only now realized that you might not be able to lift these two barrels by yourself." His palms starts waving in acute panic. "N-not that I think of you as weak," he quickly adds with a sheepish smile. "I had trouble carrying them myself, and..."
He trails off as he feels the corner he's backed himself into poking him viciously.
Toriel's hand seeks her mouth again, but now to try and hide her giggle. It fails in its task.
"I'll bring them to the tavern." Asgore hands Toriel the note which she takes with one hand. He curves one arm around one barrel, and his other around the other. He bends his knees, and lifts up himself and the barrels. "Anywhere specific you want them?"
That's...impressive. He's really strong.
The letter crumbles a bit as Toriel wrings her hand.
"Behind the tavern, if you could. There is a-"
A flash of lightning surges through Toriel's mind.
"I'll come with you and open the door."
What! Where did that come from? Why did she-
/
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
"After you."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
/
Toriel stands still, not moving a single muscle.
/
Asgore's smile fades into a concerned expression. He looks around him, partly to make sure that the two of them are alone, and partly to catch Toriel's attention by moving around in her vision.
/
Why did she say that? Why did she offer to spend more time with him?
Another flash surges through her mind, this one acting like an open palm slap on the back of her head.
"Oh..."
So that's how it is.
Toriel meets Asgore's eyes.
So that's how it is…
"Yes." Toriel straightens her back up. Asgore flinches again from her jerky movement, but he keeps the barrels under control. Just need to adjust his grip on them a bit. Toriel beckons for Asgore to follow her. "This way."
/
Don't smile like a fool. Don't smile like a fool. Don't smile like a fool. Don't smile like a fool. Don't smile like a fool. Don't smile like a fool.
/
He kinda smiles like an idiot, at least what Toriel can see through his beard.
Now, how to formulate this question without him instantly dropping the barrels and walking away. Despite him practically being in her palm right now she's pretty sure if she were to drop the question right out he'd drop himself right out.
Although...maybe that's not the worst scenario. It would give her an answer, at least. Maybe not the one she'd want, but less than half an hour ago she didn't even want to see him again, so it wouldn't be derailing the way her night is going too much.
Perhaps it will be the one she'll want after she's asked him. Her state of emotion is not something she has a grasp on now, what with her hand being occupied by the Prince being inside it and all that.
/
Maybe Asgore should've used the wagon after all. These barrels are starting to get a bit slippery from his hands getting all sweaty. Dropping them now could have them break open, and that would-
"If I told you I couldn't look past you being the Prince, and because of that I feel a resentment towards you, how would you respond?"
Barely a finger on each barrel is preventing the barrels from slipping out of Asgore's grip as he freezes in his step. His eyes lock on the horizon, unblinking. His mouth contorts into a myriad of different shapes, but all that escapes it is a low stunned hum.
/
At least he didn't drop the wine barrels. A good sign, if any.
Toriel wrings the sides of her dress in her hands as she impatiently waits for Asgore to perhaps give her an answer to her question. Her mouth feels weird from asking that. It sounded so weird, so forced, contrived, but had she formed it any other way the point would've just gotten tangled up, and she'd just be forced to ask it that way regardless.
But what's even stranger is that she feels some relief from asking it, and some anxious expectation on top of that. Very anxious, her dress has more folds than her forehead that's lowered so much that it almost tickles her feet.
Why?
Because he's right.
She'd also like to do it again.
/
"Y-you kinda already said it?" Asgore blinks. "Although, you asking it like this, phrasing it like this, it sounds a bit...I don't know, a bit more sincere?" Yet his mouth continues with its confused tugging. "I don't really have an answer for that, I'm just thinking out loud at this point."
His head tilts to the side. "M-maybe if I say that I'm not the Prince, then will that help?"
"Don't know if that will help, I'm afraid," Toriel laments through a sigh. "I guess...I don't know what I guess."
"Neither do I." Asgore chin tilts down as this question has made his head really heavy all of a sudden. "M-maybe I'll figure something out once we get closer to the tavern?"
"Y-you're not gonna run off?"
He made a promise. "I made a promise, didn't I. Gotta deliver these- Golly!"
/
Toriel manages to get her hand underneath the barrel slipping out of Asgore's hand. It's heavy, but she can help enough for him to get a grip on it again. She helps Asgore's hand wrap around the barrel as much as possible.
Still holding his promise after Toriel's confessed like that? Is he really serious? He thinks himself so pure?
/
She touched Asgore's hand...
She-
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
/
And now he doesn't say a word. Is it because he's too busy thinking right now? Maybe it's best just to leave him to his thoughts. Toriel feels like she owes him that much.
And that is the biggest surprise she's done to herself in her entire life.
/
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
/
At least she has the stars to accompany her for now.
/
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
"We're here."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-
What?
Asgore blinks as he suddenly finds himself at the tavern again. How long...For how long have the two of them walked? He...What? How did he zone out like that?
From the corner of his eyes he sees a soft muzzle peek into his vision. It's followed by a pair of beautiful eyes that shine more clearly than the cloudless sea of stars above him. A gently smile drags the supple lips back, bringing more warmth to Asgore than every single fire magic he's done in his life combined.
Oh yeah, that's why.
Toriel motions for Asgore to head into the alley behind the tavern. He follows, perhaps a bit too eagerly, but Toriel doesn't seem to notice. Her head hangs a bit low, almost as if she's preparing to be chastised.
Wait…Her question! Asgore said he would think about it. He hasn't done any thinking at all! Oh no!
/
Here it comes…
/
Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!
What should he do?
Well, for starters, he should set down the barrels, which he does. He rolls his shoulders, bringing some life back into them, life that immediately tells of how much they're hurting.
"I..." Asgore trails off before he has time to even begin.
Think! Think!
/
Here it comes?
/
Maybe...Maybe if…
"How..." Asgore taps a claw on one of the barrels. "How about we perhaps discuss it when we've had some more time to think? Perhaps tomorrow, after you're done with work? At the place that was busy last time, with some more Royal Purple?"
/
That's…
/
She nodded!
/
...Not a bad idea, actually.
However!
"My shift ends the same time it did today, so I don't know if there will be a bigger chance for that place to be empty, to be honest."
"I'll make sure of it!" comes an almost immediate response.
/
That came out way too much as a threat. The hell is Asgore doing!
"I mean, I'll be there," he backtracks with an awkward laugh. "And hopefully I'll see you there too come tomorrow?"
/
"I'll...I'll be there too. Until then...Asgore."
And just like that, the weight on Toriel's shoulders disappears. She feels her back stretch out, as well as her smile.
"Until then, Asgore," she repeats with giddy. She brushes his arm as she passes him by.
/
She touched-
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!