After the gentle pep talk from Papyrus, Toki found herself feeling light-hearted and made the effort to be more positive around the skeletal monsters, if only so she didn't keep worrying them. The wagon that was started by Papyrus and Toki had been filled with resources for the townspeople, and the escort accompanying Toki set out to return to their growing, young village.
It was a two-day travel, as they did have to stop for frequent rests for their escort's sake, but they made great time and were nearly there now. One could only walk so long before they tired out. Ever one to persevere, Papyrus led the wagons with bone spear in hand. He kept an eye on the right side of the road and roadsides with a watchful gaze, while Sans watched the side that Papyrus could not see.
There was a second wagon behind the first, with an open back so the riders could see anything approaching from behind. Anymore this road was mostly free of cars, because people didn't want to risk running across monsters on their own. The second wagon wasn't so much of a guard wagon as it was a transport wagon- and on it sat Toki, Tenebris, and one more. One who was currently in the middle of a silly story where the one telling it was the punch line.
"And so I pull back, my mane and face is soaking wet, and I have lilies caught on my horns!" Asgore laughs, "Then, when I think it couldn't get any worse, the froggit leapt right onto my nose, as if to rub it in that it clearly bested me!"
Toki's eye sockets beaded with tears as she laughed into her sweater sleeve. Asgore had proven to be surprisingly good at telling stories, and his humor always seemed to fit right in with whatever he was telling. The long ride had been made bearable with his stories. "Oh my god, Asgore, if I still had lungs I'd be dying! What happened next?"
"Well then it's certainly a good thing you don't have lungs, I'd so hate to see someone so young perish like that." he said with a heaping pile of concern in his voice.
It took him a bit before Tenebris patted his shoulder, finding his voice between his own bouts of laughter. "Old friend, it's a figure of speech" the king was quickly reassured, "She wouldn't actually die."
"Oh... That's good to know." the king sighed, before he smiled at Toki, going to resume his story now that he was reassured that there were no lives on the line. "So, thankfully not too many people saw it, it allowed me to sneak to my room and dry off properly, though I smelled like the courtyard pond for a few days." he chortled.
Toki laughed, dabbling at her eye sockets. She didn't bother correcting Gaster- because certain humans could die from laughing too hard, if it triggered an asthma attack- and instead tuned in for the rest of the story. "Heh, well, smelling like a pond isn't too bad. There are worse things to smell like, trust me. Skunk is one of them. Heh. Speaking of. I have a skunk story- if you guys know what skunks are?"
The two exchanged looks, and then they looked back at her. "No, I'm afraid I don't"
"If you'd please, fill us in so we know what we're missing."
"Okay, so, skunks are a mammal in America. They're short, pretty close to the ground, and are black with a white stripe. They're actually really cute, sort of like a strange shaped cat, and make great pets if you can get the scent glands removed as babies. Anyways, they have these scent glands under their tails that they can shoot a rather pungent odor from. It's such a bad stink that it takes weeks to wear off." She grins at them.
"So my family and I took a trip to America when I was little. We were there for a week to visit the other side of my family. My eldest little brother, Ryushi, was a pretty animal friendly kid, meaning he could charm practically any animal he got his hands on. He was playing out back of my dad's grandparents place. Lo and behold, he gets a hold of a skunk, and manages to sway it into relaxing in his arms. He had a habit of showing my mom any animal that he found, so he brought the skunk inside the house- where naturally, it freaked out at the number of people in the kitchen. We smelled like skunk for the entire duration of our visit."
"Oh dear." Tenebris smirked at that, covering his mouth with his fist as he resisted a cackle.
Asgore allowed his to escape, chuckling with mirth. "My my, that's quite unfortunate..." He commented.
"It really was," She laughed, glancing at the trees around them. They were thinning out- and she could see a familiar stretch of road ahead. Her eyes brightened eagerly. "Ryushi was so upset that he refused to leave the bathroom for three hours. He thought he was bringing in some sort of strange cat."
"Oh that's unfortunate..."
"Ryushi... He's one of your siblings..." Tenebris questioned, folded his arms as he took a moment to think. "Hm..."
"Yeah. I'm the eldest of nine- he's my eldest brother. I've got seven other brothers." She grins at him. "I had a pretty big family. Heh. Sometimes the house would get lonely without them. Before the barrier broke, I had been living by myself for probably eight years. Maybe nine?"
Tenebris eyes narrowed slightly, and he let out soft 'hm'.
"Tenebris, are you alright, old friend?"
"Yes... Just... had a thought..." he assured him, before he smiled gently, his arms returning to resting calmly in his lap.
Toki tilts her head up at him curiously, questioning slightly with her gaze. She doesn't outright ask, as her attention is divided. The trees open up, and the compound wall comes into view. There's no reporters outside, no humans, and no graffiti. From around the wall that surrounds the housing community proper, she can hear the laughter of children.
Her eyes brighten, and her mouth splits in a happy grin, soul singing in her chest. She was home! "We're here!" Ish. They had to turn in the front gates, but they'd be home in a few minutes. She was half tempted to jump from the wagon- but safety was important, so she kept her seat.
The wagons entered the compound shortly after Papyrus jogged ahead to announce their return, and almost immediately the wagon carrying the three passengers was swarmed.
"Miss Tokito! You've returned!"
"Your majesty! An honor to see you!"
Asgore gave a light chuckle and gave a small dismissing wave of his hand, "Please, give more attention to Miss Nara."
Or not give attention to Miss Nara. Toki simply smiled wider as she made her way to the edge of the wagon. "It's good to be home," She smiles wider. "I've missed you all dearly."
"Come on guys, you've got to let her down!" Two large paws gently nudged monsters out of the way, and cleared a spot for everyone to dismount from the wagon. Wolfen offered a paw up to the skeleton woman, and grinned up at her. Bo's smaller body was visible next to him in the crowd, and she waved sheepishly up at the three in the wagon.
She accepted the hand down, and turned to offer a hand up to the King and Gaster. "Thanks, Wolfen. It's good to be back."
"It's good to have you back, Miss Toki. The kids have been besides themselves with worry." The adults had been too, but that was left unsaid. The sheep woman turned a bright smile to the King and to Gaster. "It's good to see you back in perfect health, Doctor Gaster. It is likewise good to see you here to visit, your Majesty."
Tenebris let Asgore go first and he watched with a smile as the large king stepped on the cool grass with almost a sigh of relief, like he had been waiting for this for a long time.
"I couldn't resist, after all that my dear Doctor has spoke of it" he rumbled happily. He then turned and reached, offering a hand to Tenebris.
Taking the king's offered hand, he stepped off the wagon onto the ground. The claws on his feet flexed, and then retracted into their relaxed position as the grass tickled his toes. The doctor offered a smile to the crowd. "Thank you for your kind words, Miss Bo. I'm glad I was able to recover so quickly." he rumbled in reply, before smiling up at Asgore as the king patted his shoulder.
"Not injury nor illness could keep Tenebris down. I know this from experience!" He guffawed merrily.
"We're all glad that you're both okay." The sheep smiled warmly. "And that you've managed to return. It's been a lot quieter without Miss Toki around- and we can finally show the King Nara Village! We've got a lot done during the time you've been gone- we even have a little market in one of the squares now."
"Nara Village?" Toki blinks. That was the first she'd heard of that- and of the Market too. It was good that things were moving along- monsters settling in finally, and starting up their old trades, or finding new ones.
The sheep flushes, and it's her mate that answers. "Eheh, It's just a little nickname for the town. The kids came up with it after you had to go to the underground, and it kind of stuck. Thumper was pretty adamant that it stay that way until you came back."
She could read between the lines- in case she didn't come back, the little rabbit had wanted to make sure that she wouldn't be forgotten. She smiles warmly. "That is very sweet of him, and of all of you. I think it's really cute."
"Adorable indeed!" Asgore agreed, "Come then! Let's not waste any time!" he announced cheerfully, before looking to Tenebris.
The Doctor offered him a gentle smile. "Your Majesty, I'll be walking with my sons to our home, we have much to unpack."
"Alright, Tenebris, I'll meet you again later, alright?"
"Of course, your Majesty." they pressed their heads together, sharing a loving gaze for a moment, before the phantom monster went to join his boys with the first wagon.
Looking to Toki, Asgore offered her a smile and a warmly inquired question. "Would you like to accompany me on the 'tour', Miss Tokiko?"
Toki did indeed stare a little bit- but to her credit, so did many of the other monsters. Open displays of affection were often adorable and awkward- but that was pretty genuine. Well then. She chuckles softly to herself, watching as Wolfen urges everyone into motion. They swarm the other cart, helping to unload it in record time.
Asgore's question is given a moment of deliberation, before she shakes her head softly. "I would, but I need to see if there's anything salvageable from my house. I'm hoping my lockbox and gun safe made it. I've got important documents in there that I really need to get."
Bo gave her a gentle smile and patted her arm. "We haven't touched the wreckage of your home, Miss Toki. We weren't sure what to look for… But the human public guard has been here already and taken pictures and documented things. It was cleared the other day for people to start to clean it… But we weren't sure how to start."
The police huh? At least it was documented. She gives the sheep a smile. "Thanks, Bo, for handling everything while I was gone. I know it was probably tough. I'll get to work getting what I need out of the ash, and then start clearing the debris."
"Oh dear..." Asgore's look changed, and his eyes flitted over her thoughtfully. "Will you need some help?" he inquired.
Toki shook her head and smiled up at him kindly. "I think I can handle some burnt husks, Asgore. I'll be okay! Besides, I don't want to interrupt your tour. Bo's really nice- I'm sure she wouldn't mind taking you…?"
"Oh certainly not!" The sheep flushed, her tail flitting excitedly under her clothes. It wasn't often one got to give royalty a tour, after all. "Oh! Will you need a place to stay? That's to both of you, that is."
"Papyrus has already insisted that I stay with them until I can get a house rebuilt." She shakes her head and smiles quietly.
"I will be alright. Tenebris said he's already got a place for me to sleep." Asgore replied to Bo, before looking to Toki with a smile stretching his muzzle. "Miss Tokiko, if you ever change your mind, I am a gardener so I'm used to getting my hands dirty." he assured her with a warm chortle.
"Still, Asgore, you don't need to come out here and work. Besides, dirt is different than ash. Ash makes a nasty mess when you try to rinse it out of hair. Or fur, rather." She shakes her head, and offers him another smile. "Heh. I have the feeling that the house is going to be very full."
Bo simply smiles shyly, and moves to let Toki slip around her. "I'm glad you both have some place to stay. Alright! Lets get the tour going before the kids know you're here, Majesty. A lot of them remember your trips to the school classrooms- I'm certain we will be swarmed when you're spotted." The short sheep bids the skeleton a farewell, and motions to the cleared path towards the village. "Shall we?"
"Ha! Of course, Miss Bo!" Asgore chuckled happily. "Let us go and face the children head-on!"
"Good luck!" Toki waved them off with a grin. Once the King and the kindly sheep were off, she headed off for her house. She bypassed the first wagon, which was mostly empty now, and gave the boys a nod as she went.
The remains were burnt and withered- and very little of it was left. Some beams had survived, but they were blackened and pinning down whatever was underneath. She had the sinking feeling that her gun safe was under one of them. The front steps were mostly in tact, which let her pad up into the great, big piles of ash and debris that had once held her home. To the left, she could see the burnt remains of her television, and to the right, the largest mound of burnt debris.
She was glad she no longer had a throat- sadness would have clogged it. Seeing her home in ruins wasn't easy… But she had to move forwards. Toki headed for the large lump, rolling up her sleeves with a sigh as she set to tugging on the beams. The ash was deep- nearly up to her knees- but it made for great traction as she pulled on the hollowed remnants of her home.
With a grunt, she hauled a burnt beam over, and coughed as the resulting ash cloud flooded her face.
Under the beam, she finds her gun safe. It's large, and the top has partially melted inwards. The door is in tact though, and she thanks the stars for that. She manages to roll it out, and leaves it by the stairs.
Finding the lock box was harder, but a couple of moved beams later, and some ones that fell apart while being handled, had her holding the large box. As heat resistant as it was, it was partially melted along the bottom. The hinges worked, and she couldn't see anything wrong with those.
Under the lock box was a melted family photo album- and she had to leave it behind quickly before it got to her. Her soul throbbed sadly as she returned to the gun safe. Rolling it carefully down the stairs, Toki sighed and went to clean off herself and her remaining belongings with the hose near the shed.
When both boxes and her bones were clean from ash, Toki opened up the gun safe. An unhappy sound leaves her- the top of her gun has been fused with the top of the safe. God damn it. "At least the paperwork didn't burn up…"
"Toki..." A large hand slowly came to land on her shoulder. Giving a slow soothing stroke with his thumb, Tenebris slowly stepping into her field of vision. The monster slowly knelt down, and his gentle purple gaze met her eyes.
She blinks up at him quietly and tilts her skull. "Ah, Gaster. Have you finished getting everything moved to your house?" Her eyes flit back to the mess at hand, and she gathers the messy files at the bottom of the gun case. It's too clunky to carry home- and the gun is ruined anyways. There's no telling the damage done to the inside of the barrel- and most of the shells had gone off in the heat anyways. She sighs through her nasal cavity.
"Yes." He looked at the case and reached inside, grabbing the gun. A powerful surge of strength later and the gun was forcefully pulled from the inside of the case. "Tsk... I haven't seen one of these in over six hundred years... yet I still remember it's..." he seemed to shutter, and dropped it, watching it land with a clatter on the ground. "Capabilities."
The screech of metal had made her cringe when he'd torn the gun free. Well, now it was definitely ruined. "Guns now are a lot more powerful than guns from back then." She flicks her gaze up to him. "Cae and I have already had a talk about this, and he's pretty certain that he's faster than a bullet. I'm pretty certain he's a bit over confident. Guns are scary. I was going to show him what they could do, though I wasn't feeling up to it. I was gonna do it now that we're back, but… Well, there's no sense in it now. Buying another gun would be pointless." The kickback from a gun would probably knock her arm off. Literally.
She sighs, scooping the gun up gently, and tucks the gun right back into its case. Better if the kids don't try to play with it. She locks it up again, and leaves the gun safe sitting there. Another sigh pulls from behind her teeth, and she straightens up with a grumble. Holding the files in and her lockbox in one hand, the other props on the magic-padded part of her hip. "Well… I guess we should return, huh? I've got to sort through papers, make sure everything is here and undamaged. I need to call my family at some point… Stars above, my brothers are going to have words at me for pretty much disappearing off the face of the planet."
He nodded, and he turned and looked into the ruins of her house. He was silent for a short time, simply looking over it quietly. Eventually Tenebris then sighed and tugged a smile on as he looked back at her. "Yes, you deserve something to eat, plus a good night's rest."
"Deserve? Nah. Could I use something scrumptious and a good nights sleep? Hell yes." She hefts the lock box under her arm, and smiles. She turns away from the ruins first, shoving the sadness flitting around her soul away. Not all was lost- she was still here to rebuild. "Lets go, Tenebris. No use staring at the ghost of what was, y'know?"
She heads away from the ruins, heading for the streets. Her clothes are soggy from the water she used to rinse them off, but her magic wont churn to dry them off. Idly she wonders if it is from her mood about her house. Regardless, soggy clothes clinging to her bones is probably indecent. "I need to change clothes anyways. Wet cloth feels really weird on my ribs."
He simply ends up nodding and following her, seeing to it that she was changed and fed, left in the care of Sans and Papyrus.
While the three of them were busy, he stepped outside again to have a pipe. His smile grew wider as Asgore approached the home, a tired smile on his face.
"Asgore, how did it go?"
"The children are still lively as ever. It was wonderful!" the king chuckled gently, snagging Tenebris in a warm embrace.
"I'm glad, old friend." The hug was returned, before he stepped back. "You're free to get comfortable inside, one of my boys can see to getting you some food, but I have something I feel like I must see through..."
"You wont hurt yourself in the process will you?"
"Not physically."
That answer didn't satisfy the tall king and he gave a few gentle pats to Tenebris' cheek, getting a laugh from him before he reached up and cupped the king's fluff-covered cheeks.
"I promise, I'll be alright... I want to do this for Miss Toki..."
"Alright, Tenebris. I trust you on this... But when you're all done, I'll have a warm lap waiting for you."
"Oh Asgore, you're always so kind to me." Gaster leaned up and placed a soft kiss on the snout of the king, that which immediately wrinkled as he gave a chuff.
"There wouldn't be anything between us if I was rude, now would there?" he remarked after a moment, before he nuzzled Tenebris' neck, "I'll see you inside, then" He rumbled softly.
"Of course~"
Toki would have been bundled in her fluffiest sweater, her softest pants, and a pair of borrowed socks that were three sizes too large for her. She's stretched out at the end of the couch, hardly taking up any of it with the size of it, organizing her folders in her lap when King entered the house.
Her lock box is open and balanced on one leg, and she's got a phone tucked against her skull as she sorts through the things inside. Lots of important paperwork, and a few of her more sentimental photographs are amongst the many things stuffed in the box. The boys had stepped out long enough to give her some privacy to handle this phone call, and had also been kind enough to lend her one of their cell phones. "Yes, I'm fine, Simmons. I did make the change. No, I don't need you to contact my family- Simmons. Simmons, stop, seriously, I'm alright. I'll call Mom and my brothers when I'm settled in. I've got to have the house rebuilt before I can have everyone over- yes, damn it, you can relay that to Mom too, I know you're going to call her after. Please inform her that she'll need to wait to invade until I actually have a house for her to invade. N- SIMMONS. Jesus Christ, I've covered that I'm staying with someone already."
A laugh leaves her, and she wiggles her fingers at the King in a quiet greeting. "I'm safe, I promise. Listen, I've got to get off for now. I've got all of my paperwork, all of my banking information, everything is still golden. Yes, yes, no, no, definitely not. Leave the will the way it is- that way, even if something does end up happening, the monster community will have something to fall back on. No, I don't care what Dad says about it. That's not really his business."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Alright. Have a good night, Simmons." She hangs up, and sets the phone beside her. "Hi, Asgore. Did you have a fun tour?"
"I did indeed." He rumbled, hanging up his coat. "It was very fun, but also rather tiring." he sighed, taking a seat in the large recliner chair. It was big for Tenebris, which meant it was perfect for his majesty to settle down in. "Oof."
"Ha, I bet." She tucks her legs under her, and thumbs through the papers. She's got everything in order now, and all of the important paper is tucked at the forefront. She tugs out the few pictures she has, and her smile softens. Ah, she remembered these. Most of them were of her and her siblings as kids, but she had a couple of them from them being older. "Boys!" She calls out over the back of the couch. "Thanks for giving me a minute! You can come back in now!"
They came back in when called and the taller of the two smiled at both Toki and Asgore. "Welcome home your majesty!"
"Thank you, Papyrus. I hope you could tell me if you are able to make some tea right now? After all the fun I had today I'd just love a warm cup if it wouldn't be too much of a bother." Asgore replied with a cheerful, tired purring noise.
"Of course, sir! I'll go put on the teapot!"
Toki tilts her head curiously as Papyrus ducks back into the kitchen. She shifts on the couch, and smiles wider at one of the photos. Ah, Dom had such a grumpy face sometimes. "Your phone, Cae." She holds his cell phone up to he can take it back. "Thanks for letting me borrow it- I'm going to have to get another one here soon." She'd also need to call and deal with the city about getting her license renewed, since her old one was for her human self… and it had burnt up in the fire.
He took it with a soft 'Yoink' (Yes, the funnybones actually makes the sound), and he pocketed it before flopping onto the couch beside her with a sigh. "Yeah no problem... Aaahhh, I'm exhausted. I think I'm taking the next few days off." he huffed.
She has to hurry and tuck some of her papers into the box so he doesn't squish them. She shoots him an amused look, and shifts on the couch so she can flop her legs across his lap. That's what he gets for taking the space next to her when the entire other half of the couch was open. She spreads the pictures out again, and gently frowns at a tear at the edge of the one with her nephew on it. Blasted claws. "The next few days off? Off from what?"
"Working." he chuckles, before he reached and began to play with her toes. "Where's Pops? Have you seen him?"
"He went outside to smoke or something a little while ago. He still out there, Asgore?" Her feet twitch, and she casually pokes him in the ribs as vengeance while she tucks her things back into the box. "That tickles, you know."
Sans grunted and began to chuckle mischievously as he continued to assault her toes. "Oh so that's how it's gonna be?"
"Actually, he said he had something to take care of, so he'll be out for a while." Asgore answered, amusement glinting in his eyes as he watched them.
"S-Sans!" She scolds, tucking her feet away from his mischievous hands, and hiding them under her femurs. "If you're going to be naughty, you can sit on the other end, mister." Her bones crawl with the odd lingering sensation of his attacks, and she glances to Asgore. "Oh really? Well, I hope he's not up too late. He could probably use a good nights rest too- Sans, don't you dare. I see your fingers moving. Don't even."
Sans chuckles and gives her a cheeky grin, "What are you talking about? I'm completely innocent, heh heh heh..."
The king watched them fondly. "I agree, Miss Tokiko. He always would overwork himself back when he was the Royal Scientist, poor man would be dead on his feet." the king sighed.
"Workaholics enjoy what they do though." She points out. "My brother Utaka is like that. He's a lawyer, and his wife is always making sure that he takes ample breaks so he doesn't overwork himself." Toki gives Sans an amused look, and forms her tongue to stick it out at him teasingly. The lockbox is settled carefully on the floor and out of the way of any possible shenanigans. The last thing she needs is to kick it and send it flying. "Nyeh. Innocent my ass, Sans."
Asgore chuckled quietly as he gave no reply, letting the conversation fade as he watched the two skeletons interact.
"Yeah, completely innocent!" Cae said insistently, before he looked down at her with a chuckle. "'Nyeh', huh? You've been hanging around my brother too long."
She lets her tongue dissipate as she laughs. "I hang around you both probably too much. At least I haven't started drinking ketchup." That was a completely nasty habit. She squints up at him playfully, and replaces her legs in his lap. "If you can behave, and not tickle me, that'd be great. I'd feel terrible if I stabbed your finger on accident." The pointed bones of her toes were pesky- and if she kicked him, it'd likely hurt.
He chuckled and reached out to stroke her leg bones instead, his thumbs putting pressure to make this as if it was a massage.
She relaxes contently as he rubs at the wider bone of her tibia. Folding her arms over her ribs, Toki watches him rub along her shin through her pants. The cotton material is soft and feels nice against her bones. A rumbling rattle trembles up her rib cage, and she realizes that's the skeletal equivalent of a purr. "I think you missed your calling, Cae. Masseuses are very sought after."
"I'm not sure if anyone would like the feeling of my bones against their skin." He chuckled. "I'm not sure yet." He continued massaging with one hand. With the other hand, he reached up to stroke the smooth side of her skull. "Tell me, Doll... You feelin' any better yet?" he asked gently.
Toki leaned her skull into his fingers with a quiet sigh. "Your bones never bothered my skin when I still had it. You might have an issue doing deep tissue massages, but I'm sure you'd work out how to do it." The bone lids slide over her sockets, and she relaxes into his fingers quietly. "Better?" She inquired, not sure what he meant.
"Feeling better physically, better handle on your magic, emotionally; fuck, anything would work."
"Ah. Uh… Well, physically I feel fine. More than fine, if you keep rubbing like that. That feels amazing." She hums. Bone lids open, and she peers at him quietly. "I don't really have a handle on my magic, Cae. It sort of just does what it does. Emotionally I am… sad. A lot of things were lost in the fire- and I had a lot of things saved for my family here too. Thirty years of memories is a lot to lose in one night. It hurts right now- but it will get better with time, I promise."
He looked at her, then he sighed and he leaned over to loop an arm around her back, before pulling her so instead of her legs on his lap, it was her rear. He wrapped both arms around her tightly and nuzzled his face into her neck. His eye sockets closed as he almost seem to expel air through his nasal hole. "Well... If it helps, imagine how you may have lost thirty years, but you may end up with thirty more years of good memories, of everything you've done for us. Of the new family you've earned."
Without warning, another pair of arms came around them and Caeruleus let his grin grow, as there was a soft 'Nyeh heh heh' by their non-existent ears. "That's for damn sure, Brother. But you never know, it may be more than just thirty years, it may even be thirty decades, now that she's one of us."
Toki was relaxed in their arms. Being shifted over wasn't that much of a surprise, though the second pair of arms was. She smiled, and lifted her hand to gently grasp Papyrus' arm and run her fingers over his arm through his shirt. "Thanks you two. I look forwards to making more memories with all of you. She nestles back into Cae's front, back reclining comfortably against the swell of his stomach. "I suppose we'll see if I have thirty years or thirty decades, huh?" She had a monster body, but she had a human soul. Who knew if she'd grow old without them? She shook that thought from her mind for now- because that could go down a dark road, and it was not a road she wished to travel. "If you're finished with the tea, Pap, you should join us on the couch. You can keep your brother from misbehaving."
"Of course. Let me just serve his majesty and I'll have a seat." he agreed.
Once Asgore was given his tea, Aliquam was all to eager to join his brother and fellow skeleton on the couch, rejoining the cuddle effortlessly. "Nyeh~"
They probably looked a bit silly there on the couch. Two large skeletons with one much more fragile looking one draped across them. She relaxed, shifting so she could drape her legs across Aliquam since Sans had a hold of her torso. "You know, Cae, you make a great backrest." Her fingers teasingly prod his middle, and she beams up at him warmly.
"I'm big-boned, so I'm gonna be soft." He joked with a soft laugh, watching as Aliquam reached up to start massaging her feet.
Her toes twitched, and she hid a grin. The massage both felt good and tickled slightly. His mitts were warm against her bones though, and felt good. Toki simply grins up to Sans. "Big boned indeed. Both of you are pretty big." She nabs his hand, and splays her fingers against his own. His fingers are probably twice as thick as hers are. "Or I am just very small. That might also be a possibility."
She pauses, and frowns. "You know, I never used to be considered small. For a woman, I was really big according to society's standards."
His hand was too adorned with gloves, but they were black, and fingerless, cutting off near the middle of his Proximal Phalanges. His Distal Phalanges, much like his brother's and his Father's, were pointed at the end.
"That may be true, I mean hell you're almost as tall as I am." Cae chuckled gently, "But you're still a human originally. That means you may not get as tall as we do."
"Human females stop growing at around fourteen years old, sometimes fifteen. I'm pretty much double that age. I'm well past the age where I have to deal with growing pains." She bumps her finger tips to his, humming as her sharp digit tips touch his. "Even without gloves, you all have giant bones. Heh. Sort of wish humans had bones like this- would make breaking them even harder."
"Heh... Yeah... You're pretty thin." he commented, reaching and pinching her arm between his fingers. "I can see your struggle."
She grimaced at the pinch and patted his fingers. "Hey now, gentle with that. You press too hard and you'll get those sausage fingers of yours stuck between my radius and ulna. At least I wont be getting my fingers or hands stuck in things. with as thin as they are."
He laughed at that, and his hand let her go for a moment. "Sausage fingers? That's only if I was a fleshy." he then lifted her arm up, grinning at her. "So, uh... would I get in trouble if I got something else stuck... liiiike…" he then stuck out his tongue, poking it through the two bones, "Bleeeeh~"
It took half a second before she realized that he actually did it. Her bones rattle, and her cheeks tinge green- that was the weirdest sensation, and she's not entirely certain that it is innocent. "SANS!" Yes, he gets in trouble. Much trouble- because she's flushing and squirming out of his lap and into his brother's instead. She rubs her arm, squeaking at the sticky blue saliva that makes her bones shiver. "I can't believe you! That felt so freakin' weird!"
He laughed at that, while Aliquam pulled Toki close, holding her protectively. "Sans!" he scolded, letting Cae have his laugh while he cradled the smaller skeleton to his chest.
She sticks her tongue out at Cae, and tucks herself neatly into Papyrus' lap. "Hmph. Well, you've lost your snuggling privileges for tonight. Pap gets all of your snuggles." Leaning up, she loops her arms around the biggest skeleton, and nestles close. "And this way you cant lick my arm again."
"Awww WHAT?!"
"Nyeh~" Aliquam smiled and nuzzled his face down into Toki's neck.
Toki grins at Sans. "That's what happens when you're naughty. Besides- I might not know much about what touches are considered inappropriate with Skeletons yet, but I am almost certain that it is improper to lick the inside of someone's bones in front of the King." Her gaze flits to Asgore, still watching them from the recliner. "So yes." She snuggles into the big skeleton, and her eyes glow merrily at Sans.
He pouted slightly, then he leaned back and sighed as he closed his eyes to relax.
"Mmm..." Aliquam did the same, hugging Toki firmly as he held her to his chest, stroking her head where the crack did not mark.
She relaxed against him with a sigh. The house was quiet, and the smell of Asgore's tea was drifting here and there through the room. The relative calm and quiet was very soothing, and she slumped against Aliquam. Nestling her head to his chest, she let her sockets close.
The emotional ball in her chest loosened as she relaxed, and she found herself feeling tired and drained as she shunted the sad feelings off to be dealt with later. Being sad always made her tired- and she wasn't entirely sure if it was her heritage as a Nara or the long trip that day, but she was ready to nod off in Aliquam's arms. Between his soft touches and the thrum of his soul in his chest, she was fighting the heavy sensation of sleep.
"Mm… Going to end up falling asleep here. You can put me down if you prefer, Ali."
"I don't care. You can fall asleep there, Miss Toki." he whispered, smiling warmly against her.
She hums contently, and sighs softly. She nestles closer, her magic pulsing lazily to warm her under her bones, and then she's out like a light.
Flesh or bone, determined or not, no one can fall asleep at the drop of a hat like a Nara can.