AN: Two chapters in one month! Haven't managed that in a while. This one's a little shorter than my recent chapters have been, but honestly I think shorter chapters more frequently might work better than longer ones that take months to finish.

Avery Campton only disappeared a few years ago, so there's a lot more readily available information about him despite his family being sort of reclusive. His parents bought a small plot of land up in the mountains and were trying to live "off the grid", sort of like what happened with you in the Ruins I think? I think that's how that idiom is used. The Camptons were distrustful of the government and tried to raise Avery to be self-sufficient, teaching him how to fish and farm and hunt. They taught him not to trust and to always take care of yourself, even if it meant hurting other people. One night Avery was unable to sleep and heard someone trying to break in through the window. He must have thought it was a burglar or home invader and shot him with a human weapon called a "gun". Avery killed the man trying to come into the house. Only, when he turned the lights on he realized the man who was trying to come in through the window was his own father. It later came out that he was meeting another woman in secret. On that night he accidentally locked himself out and tried to sneak back in. But Avery didn't know and never learned any of that; he ran away and was never heard from again. His mother still lives in the area and insists she hasn't given up hope of seeing him again.

Avery killed two monsters while he was in the underground: we know one of them was Doge, the Captain of the Royal Guard at the time. We aren't sure who the other was, not 100%, but Quilt's widow Karin disappeared around the same time. The going theory is that Karin blamed all humans for Quilt's death during Rebecca's massacre and sought out Avery in revenge. So both of his monster kills were in self-defense. But still, it must have eaten him alive… Sans said Avery died by his own hand and I believe him. Sans' LOVE is still 1, after all. The only thing Sans ever said about the incident is that Avery had three kills and a LOVE of 6 by the time he reached the hall, which checks out with what I gathered. We'd been going nuts trying to figure out who his third kill was, but it turns out it was his first kill after all. Ugh, I'm not trying to make light of this… it's horrible for a child to carry guilt like that around.

Um… I know this isn't the right place to talk about this, but Sans changed after that. He stopped all his personal projects, he stopped coming by the lab, he stopped trying to do anything. Personally I thought he was going to Fall Down any moment; he was that bad off. He moved out to Snowdin with his brother and hung up his labcoat for good. What really happened there? And why did he seem to just… lose all hope afterward? He never talked about it with me. I get the feeling you got to be pretty close to him, somehow… did he ever talk about it with you? I mean, if it was told to you in confidence I'll respect that! But… well, he was my colleague and friend. I'd like to know if there's anything I can do for him.

Silas became very quiet for a while after picking up the phone. From the table Asgore could hear someone speaking on the other end but not what they were saying. Silas let them talk without interruption, his eyes unfocused and staring at an uncertain point in the distance. Finally the voice on the other end stopped speaking. Silas said slowly, "One moment. I will get him on the line." He covered the receiver with his hand and called, "Asgore, it's for you. The woman on the line is Beatrice Lincoln, the woman who owns the land around Mt. Ebott. Also… she's the legal guardian of one of the kids who died." Puzzled, Asgore stood from his kneeling position and took the phone, his head ducked low to avoid scraping the ceiling with his horns. Silas tried to look Asgore in the face but found he was unable to.

Asgore screwed up his courage. He had hoped this day would not come so soon but there was no avoiding it. He tried to bring the phone up to his face only to realize the phone was too small compared to his head; if he held the receiver to his mouth he would not be able to hear, and if he held the phone to his ear his mouth was still a fair distance from the phone. He resolved to put it by his ear and see if Beatrice complained about him being too quiet. "Hello?"

"Ah, am I finally speaking to King Asgore Dreemurr? I'm Beatrice Lincoln, you killed my niece. The pleasure, I'm sure, is all yours." The voice on the other end was pleasantly cordial, in stark contrast to what she was actually saying.

Asgore's breath caught in his throat. "Ah, um. I am… immeasurably sorry for what happened. But I did not-"

"Semantics," came a disinterested reply. "You may not have killed her with your own hands, but you gave the order, yes? Someone else followed it? You can protest innocence all you like, it hardly matters at this point. More importantly, I'm not the only one you owe closure to. Six children are dead. Lilly Randolph, Wendell Sunapee, Tyrone Eaton, Skye Harris, Rebecca Troy, and Avery Campton. They left families behind: mothers, fathers, sisters, cousins. Oh! In a startling coincidence, would you believe their families are all going to be at my mansion tomorrow?"

"A… All of them?" Asgore felt panic freeze his face into a stiff mask. Even he could not miss the intended threat; the coincidence was too impossible.

Beatrice chuckled with all the friendliness of a spider. "Yes, the closest relatives of every child. I have been hosting gatherings every year or so of the ones left behind. A support group, I suppose you could say. Only this year, oh, this year will be one to remember. I cordially invite you to attend, your majesty, as the guest of honor."

Her intent was clear. The direction of this conversation was dangerous. Should he feign ignorance? No, that would only anger her. Attempt to deflect, then. Use Silas' plan. "Indeed. I, too have lost children-"

Beatrice ruthlessly cut him off, "Hm, yes, Asriel and Chara. About that. I've done a little study of my own, and you know what? No child went missing around Mt. Ebott in the year you claim. I even sent someone digging into the census records, and no child of that name was born anywhere near here in the state at the time they would have been born. As far as the state of New Hampshire is concerned there is no such person as Chara." She allowed a moment for her words to sink in. "Now, I'm not going to accuse you of inventing this person to garner sympathy. Neither would I dream of making light of the death of your son Asriel, or 'the White Beast' as we call him around here. But there is clearly something you either don't know or are intentionally concealing, and if I may offer a tip? Unless you are able to explain exactly what happened, in full, don't expect any of us to be swayed by your sob story. Shall we expect you tomorrow, King Dreemurr?"

"O-Oh." And just like that his defense blew apart. She had planned for his counterattack and defeated it with one blow. What else could he do? "In that case, I will meet with you all tomorrow. I am certain we can have a productive dialog."

"I am quite sure of that as well. Do you have a way to get here or shall I send someone to pick you up?"

"We have a driver that should suffice. I look forward to meeting with all of you."

This was the first thing Asgore had said that gave the woman on the other end pause. "You shouldn't, King Dreemurr." The line went dead with a beep.

Asgore weighed the phone in his hand before returning it to the cradle. When he turned everyone was looking at him, waiting for a sign of how it went. "Let me guess," Silas said with a pained face. "She wants you to come to a private meeting with the surviving family members of the other children, right?" Asgore nodded. "In other words, you'll be in a room with people you have greatly wronged, who hate your guts, with the full knowledge that no one on the surface will miss you if do not return from it. This is… not literally the worst scenario, but it's very, very close. I had intended to play out your defense in the arena of public opinion, but instead your harshest critics will get to have the first crack at you before we can even try to get your side of the story out." He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed deeply. He did not try to continue for several seconds as he let the hopelessness of the situation sink in. "… My plan failed," he said at last. "I'm sorry. Now that it's come to this, we have to go fully defensive. You can't go to that meeting."

Asgore refused. "I must go."

The human pointed a finger at the monster king. "You cannot. Your people need you to lead them. If you go into that room, Asgore, you will die."

"If I do not I have no right to lead them. Besides, if I don't what is stopping them from revealing our existence and my crimes to the world at once? Wasn't that the exact scenario you sought to avoid?"

Silas took a breath and admitted, "Yes, it was. Damn it, there has to be something! Something I missed, some way to-"

"You've done enough," Asgore said with a smile. "You've done more than we had any right to expect. If this is the way it must be, I will accept the consequences of my own actions. You said it yourself, your plan failed. Now we do it my way. You may call me a poor king if you like, but never say I did not meet my end like one."

A chair clattered in the dining room. When they looked there Toriel was standing, her chair knocked over on the ground beside her, her face stricken with grief. "Asgore, no."

He met her gaze unflinchingly. "You can't talk me out of this. Don't try."

"I…" Toriel averted her eyes first, shrinking into herself. She found some hidden reserve of strength and stood straight, even as it made her horns knock some dust from the ceiling plaster loose. "Then take me with you."

"Absolutely not. Papyrus is the ambassador, he will accompany me there. You have no need to worry, he is quite good." While he would ordinarily soak up the praise, instead Papyrus appeared to be attempting to burrow between the couch cushions to avoid this conversation.

Toriel took a breath to steady herself. "Papyrus is… very good indeed. But I must insist. However much we disagreed, at the very least you have been a king these past thirty years. I have not been a queen at all. I have read the old texts, I know the ancient customs. The Kingdom of Monsters cannot be without a ruler for a single day. Should they kill you, I… I will take up my old role. I will lead in your stead. To do that I must see what we are facing with my own eyes. I must see how wide the gap of hatred has grown between humans and monsters. I may no longer be your wife, but I will not let you face this alone."

Asgore closed his eyes, and for a moment seemed like he would still insist on his way. He was king, it was his right, and he had been speaking like royalty since he got off the phone. "… If it comes to it, I will take all the blame. Do not hesitate to join them against me. You must survive. Of all of us, you are the most indispensable. Others can lead our people, but Frisk needs you and you alone."

Toriel closed her eyes, thinking of her newest child. Her ninth, including Asriel and Chara. The only one she still had a chance to save. She hated to agree with Asgore on anything, but this time he had the right of it. She could not abandon this child. "As you wish."

A loud bang resounded throughout the room. Undyne had smashed her fist into the counter, leaving a sizable crater in the formica. The corners of her lips were drawn back in a snarl. "What, we're all just going to accept this?! Hell no!"

"I understand your temper," Toriel admonished as she put her hands over Frisk's ears. "But please watch your language."

"It's okay Toriel," they said around a mouthful of bell pepper. "I already know all the dirty words."

"Even still."

Undyne slammed her fist into the counter again, causing the cracks to deepen. "Can we focus here? Asgore, you don't have to accept all the blame the humans want to throw on you. It's not like they're any better, they killed the prince for no reason! And what about the blue soul, huh? She killed a whole ton of monsters and we're just supposed to ignore that?!"

"Four of their children were killed before the blue soul even fell into the Underground," Asgore countered. "Her actions don't excuse the other five deaths, only one of whom killed any monsters at all and even then only to protect himself. There is no proof any of these families were involved in Asriel's death… how can his murder wash away the blood of six children who had nothing to do with it? No, we cannot make accusations back at these humans. Their grief is real, their anger legitimate. Toriel and I can handle the diplomacy. If they wish to strike me down, whether there is two or three of us will make no difference." Left unsaid was the rebuke: 'Your inability to control your temper will only make things worse.' Asgore was, of course, much too polite in his folksy way to say it aloud, but it was still understood by everyone there.

Undyne lowered her head, shoulders visibly shaking. "Are you telling me… I have to stand here and do nothing while my king goes into danger…?"

Asgore's expression softened. Undyne, the daughter he never had. So full of spirit and spunk. He always knew she would die for him, and the thought of him protecting her struck at her very soul. He clapped her on the shoulder, squeezing it with a fraction of his strength. "Power and fury, however righteous, will not win this fight. I will do my best to use the power of words, not the force of arms, to save my life. Have faith in me, as I've had faith in you. Remain here and wait for my safe return."

Undyne turned away, her good eye watering. She was shaking so badly one would think she might fall to pieces. Then her shuddering stopped. She fell down to one knee and bowed her head low. "So let it be done."

During the commotion Alphys had shuffled back to the computer. One would have been inclined to believe she had extricated herself from the awkward discussion before it became too heated. This assumption would have been wrong, however: Alphys waddled back into the fray with tiny steps and her head down to hand a thick ream of paper over to Toriel. "I-it doesn't have the section on Frisk yet, but… uh, here's the report on the other children. I have a, um, pretty high confidence in it. At the very least, you'll know the stories of the kids you're dealing with."

Toriel eyed the report before accepting it graciously. "Thank you. This will prove invaluable. Silas, I will take your recliner to read this. Everyone else, we may wish to finish early for the night; all of us have a long day tomorrow." Her proposal met no objections.

Frisk changed into their pajamas and crawled into bed, letting a distracted Toriel kiss them goodnight. As soon as they heard her go downstairs they turned to their ghostly companion. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Chara shook their head, their eyes glassy. "You didn't hear her, that woman Beatrice, on the phone. She's evil. She's going to chew up Asgore and spit him out. He can't win against her. You're sure you can't Load? If you try really, really hard maybe you can go back and try again." Frisk shook their head sadly. Chara could only laugh bitterly and turned their face away from Frisk. "Maybe it wouldn't help anyway. This was going to happen no matter what. Two kids can't hold back the tide." Drops of something black fell from Chara's face.

Frisk put their head on their pillow, clutching the corner of it tightly. Silas had said once that if Asgore died the rest of the monsters would follow suit. It now seemed almost certain Asgore would die tomorrow regardless of what Frisk tried to do. "Chara? Why'd we lose?"

Chara took a moment to reply. "Humans," they said. The word was thick and heavy with malice, dripping like the tar coming out of Chara's eyes. "This human, specifically."

Frisk's next line came automatically: "It's not your fault."

"If I hadn't killed myself, Asgore never would have made that decree, those other kids wouldn't have died, and the monsters wouldn't be in this mess. All I wanted was to give them a bright future. It took thirty one years for it all to play out, and the final result is that I took it away. Monsters have no future."

"That's not true," Frisk said, but Chara was not listening. They huddled into a ball and giggled, a high and shrill laugh. "Please, Chara, don't believe that. If… if you go away, if you get sad, I can't bring you back. So you can't, okay?" An idea came to them. Possibly a long shot, but they had to try. "You kept saying, what I did for you with the barrier wasn't a fair trade for the help you gave me. So… to make it even, you have to stay here. You can't go away. Please… don't leave me alone." Chara continued laughing as though Frisk had not said anything. Every second of it was torture: not only was it grating on the ears, but Frisk could feel every bit of sorrow and self-recrimination it was filled with. Their friend, someone they loved very deeply, was in such intense pain and they could do nothing about it. It made them feel small and useless, like they were somehow letting everyone but most especially Chara down.

It was several minutes before the laughter finally settled. A puddle of sludge had formed underneath Chara, runover from whatever leaked from their eyes in place of tears. Chara's wavering form sniffled and giggled every once in a while, but it appeared they did not have the energy for anything more.

Then, just before sleep took them, Frisk could have sworn they heard a tiny voice say: "… Your terms are accepted. So long as there's any hope at all, I won't disappear. Payment for services rendered."

Toriel stayed up well into the night to read the report Alphys provided to her, bitter tears welling in her eyes. To know that tragedy had struck children not once, but seven times (eight, for why else would Frisk climb a mountain no one returns from)? It was too much to bear. The world of humanity was too cruel. Each story was worse and more heartbreaking than the last. Lilly had stayed only a few days, cryptically saying she had to return "since everything should be taken care of by now". Marijane, she would only ever be Marijane to her, was a wonderful daughter. Her soul was blue when she first fell down, but through the years under Toriel's paw she became the most like a surrogate daughter of all the children, eventually even adopting her green soul. But when she got old enough to learn her body would start changing she despaired; she had to return to the human world to find a way to stop it and keep a body that matched her spirit. She had been the hardest to say goodbye to. Tyrone never gave her a chance, passing through on his quest to who-knew-where. She always wondered what his story was, and why Marijane seemed to dislike him so much. Skye was a boisterous young lad, very energetic and a bit of a roughhouser. She was disappointed but not surprised he left a trail of battered but very much alive monsters on his way to the capital. But Rebecca became a murderer? Not Rebecca, sweet little Rebecca, she could not have done those things. She could not have murdered innocent people including children. Was she not a blue soul, full of Integrity? Even after reading it she could not believe it. And Avery… such a haunted boy. She could tell there was a darkness in his soul the moment she saw him: she clearly remembered thinking, 'How awful, for a child so young to have gained LOVE. If even a child cannot maintain their innocence, how wonderful could the surface be?' Monsters could tell, vaguely, when someone had gained LOVE. It would take a machine or someone very sensitive to be able to tell exactly what their LOVE was, let alone the EXP at the heart of it, but 'a little, some, a lot' was not outside the capabilities of most monsters.

At some point in her reading she had fallen asleep, only realizing it when something heavy fell across her shoulders and startled her awake. "Miss Ex-Majesty," Papyrus said in an unusually quiet voice. He was leaning over her with a spare blanket in his hands. "I am sorry. I was only trying to make you more comfortable."

Toriel blinked herself awake and took stock of her surroundings. The dimmer switch in the kitchen was being utilized well, the overhead light putting off a faint orange glow. The rest of the monsters were laid out across the floor of the living room, only visible by their silhouettes. Asgore slept by the front door, his large furry body serving as a draft stopper. Alphys was curled up in a ball, cuddling the computer tower for warmth while breathing in an irregular rhythm. Undyne was in a sitting position behind the television set facing the door; she had mentioned when staking out her spot that she could see outside from this angle but was not in the line of fire if anyone tried to bust through the window. Toriel had found it an odd set of criteria but she supposed that was Undyne's way. Marty had taken the couch, putting a fitting sheet over himself instead of a regular one. He swore it felt cozier, but everyone including Silas thought him mad.

Toriel smiled. "It is fine, Papyrus. I have always been a light sleeper." She took the offered blanket and draped it over the armrest. "But should you not be getting sleep as well?"

"I already told you I don't sleep," Papyrus waved off. "Oh, you don't have to get up Miss Queen Toriel! Over the past few days I've come to realize other people do need sleep! I believe I owe my brother an apology when I see him again."

"It is fine, I have too much going through my head to fall back asleep. Perhaps I shall make some-" Not tea not tea not tea just because she was living under the same roof as Asgore again was no excuse to fall back into her old habits. "-some warm milk. But… I am curious. Why don't you sleep?"

"Milk! An excellent choice, builds strong bones." His eternal grin made it difficult to tell whether he was making a joke or not. "I used to have terrible bouts of sleep-walking. One time I ended up going all the way to the CORE! It was dangerous to go so far, especially since Hotland doesn't have any guardrails. I decided I wouldn't sleep anymore if it was going to be so perilous, so I don't."

Toriel giggled, hiding her mouth behind her paw. "Yes, I can certainly see what that would be a problem. Oh, please do not fret, I am only laughing because you are safe and sound. It would be no laughing matter if something terrible had happened to you." Toriel doubted anyone could put off sleep just by wanting to, but she also did not think Papyrus was lying to her or trying to dodge the question. He really did not seem to know, prying deeper would prove fruitless. "So what do you do while everyone else rests?" She opened the fridge and took down a glass from the cupboard.

"Studying, mostly. In Snowdin I would learn advanced puzzle theory, with the occasional foray into quantum physics or jokes. Ah, don't tell Sans about that! He would never let me hear the end of it! Erm, since arriving in the surface I've neglected those studies in favor of the politics of the human world. They are quite fascinating. For instance, did you know they have a council that writes all the laws? And that they only meet once a week, ostensibly to work out compromises but mostly to yell at each other?"

Toriel raised an eyebrow as she poured herself some milk. "That seems… inefficient." Toriel held the glass of milk in her two paws, the barest hints of flame dancing around her claws. Milk had to be heated very slowly and carefully else it would burn easily.

"Oh, it is! When Asgore thought of a new rule he could write it into law in a few hours, while these guys take weeks to rename a post office! Of course, if Asgore wanted to raise the snowball tax there was nothing anyone could do about it. While here! Things take so long so everyone can contact their representative. In theory they are supposed to tell their congressman how they feel about things, how new laws will affect them, and what can be done to earn their trust and consolidate their continued support. In practice… I am seeing a lot of people send in threats to murder their representatives. Which is obviously wrong! Saying you're going to kill someone when you aren't is plainly lying, and that's an attack on the trust the whole system needs to function! It makes little sense, but sense of it I must make to fulfill my role as ambassador. Don't get me wrong, I am eminently up to the task! Only, even for someone as great as me, it will take quite some doing."

Toriel doused her flames and took a sip of her milk. She stared intently into the glass as the warmth flowed into her body. "Humans… are as intimately familiar with death as any of us. I wonder how they can talk about killing so openly and so freely. Silas believes Asgore will die tomorrow. Those parents hold him responsible for the children's deaths, and they will kill him for it. He seemed to think it a certainty. It is strange, for them to immediately think of killing someone who has wronged them, is it not?"

Papyrus' voice softened and he leaned forward sympathetically. "You still care for him."

"I do not wish him dead," Toriel clarified. She was unable to look Papyrus in the eye, however; her gaze drifted to the drawn blinds, attempting to see through them and to moonlight through sheer force of will. "We have a long history. From before I was old enough to know what love was my future had been decided: 'You are a Boss Monster, so when you are ready you will marry the King.' He never once came to visit me in my youth. I never saw him unless it was at a great distance during an announcement to the whole kingdom. I never knew him except as the distant concept of a man I would one day hand my entire future over to. He later told me he was nervous about the large difference in our ages and did not want to see me for the first time until I was grown. But there was no rush to meet him, no set time I was to give him my hand. Boss Monsters are nearly immortal, after all, and there was little danger anywhere in the Kingdom. So I made him wait while I lived a life of freedom. I was not allowed to have children, but other than that there is nothing the Underground would deny a future ruler. Hee hee, it may surprise you to know I was quite the 'wild one' before I became a Queen!

"I was an adult for well over a century before I deigned to marry him. At first I thought he was a useless fool, someone who sacrificed his own goals on the altar of his likability. But… I gradually came to realize how he was perceived by the populace was not his goal, merely a byproduct of his actual intent. He cared for all his subjects in a deep and personal way. He celebrated their joys, shared in their sorrows, and thought of every monster as part of his family. His kindness was not a cover for any nefarious activity, nor was it an attempt to paper over his own loneliness by being well liked. He simply… loved everyone. Honestly, simply, with no guile. I grew to admire that about him, and eventually to love him.

"Then he broke my trust. He used his grief as an excuse to declare war. He showed none of his kindness or patience then. It was as though I never really knew him. A part of me is still angry at him for that. But I cannot erase what we have been, and I cannot deny he made me very happy, for a time."

She laughed softly to herself. "Forgive me. I do not know why I am telling you all this."

"It's because you want to be talking to Sans, but Sans isn't here." It was not said with any reproach or resentment, merely a statement of fact.

She considered that and found herself nodding. "You are… probably right about that. That's very insightful, Papyrus."

"But of course! I have been practicing my listening skills, and soon they will be as good as my talking skills. Then. Then! I shall truly be a loquacious legend, a verbalizing force to be feared!" Toriel chuckled again, waiting until she was done before finishing off her milk. Papyrus tapped his phalanges on the counter, staring at the dent Undyne had left in it earlier that night. His tone dropped and became more serious, even pleading. "Miss Toriel? You knew Sans when he was younger, yes?"

Toriel rinsed out her glass in the sink. "I knew of him. His father Segoe worked in the lab, and he was friends with my children… well, more with Chara than with Asriel. I saw him on occasion but I did not know him well then. I certainly did not recognize him until he told me his name."

"What about me? Did you ever meet baby me, or have any stories about me?"

Toriel shook her head. "I apologize… you must have been born after I left. I did not know Segoe had another child, or even that he took another lover after the death of his husband."

Papyrus sighed, his eyesockets becoming droopy. "Oh. Oh, I see."

"Is something wrong?"

His eyesockets snapped back to normal. "No, not at all! It's… nothing, really. How is the milk? Is it working?"

Toriel suppressed a yawn. "Quite well indeed, thank you for listening to this old woman ramble. I will try to get a little bit more sleep. You know, your brother spoke so highly of you, Papyrus. I was sure he was exaggerating, but after meeting with you I see you really are as great as he said."

"It was no trouble at all! It helps break up the monotony of research a bit. Please, feel free to sample my goods and services anytime!"

Toriel nodded. "Good night, Papyrus." She carefully stepped her way back to the recliner and pulled the blanket over herself. From how comfortably she settled in and how easily she fell back asleep it was clear she did not hear the sniffles coming from where Asgore lay, nor did she notice the shimmer of moonlight on Undyne's open eye.

"Goodness!" Toriel said as the SUV approached Beatrice's mansion. And it really was a mansion; built on a hillside overlooking Weymouth there were few places in the city where it could not be seen. Three stories tall and wider than a school building, it could have comfortably housed several families inside. Did one woman really live in a place like that all by herself?

Asgore was also impressed. "I lived in a cozy little cottage; well, cozy for me. The governor, Silas' father, the mayor, Beatrice, it seems everyone we visit has such grand houses. Does everyone live so fine on the surface?"

"Only the people who actually matter," Marty said as he put the car into Park. "I'll be waiting out here. If things go bad don't expect me to rush in, you've got to get out here. I'm not much as cavalry but I bet I can make a mean getaway driver."

"Hopefully it will not come to that," Asgore said. "But we thank you for whatever assistance you can provide."

"Haven't done much so far, so give me the chance to be useful and I'll do it." Marty paused, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth. "Hey, I'm not gonna jinx this by saying 'goodbye' or nothing, but… even with everything, I think you're a pretty cool guy Mister D. Do your best in there." Suddenly he blinked and his gaze shot up toward the house with a start.

Toriel turned to look in the same direction but nothing immediately suspicious came to her attention. "Is something wrong?"

"Nuthin'," Marty said, rubbing at his eye. "Nothing. Thought I saw a kid at the window for a second. Maybe the old bat has a grandchild or something. Or I'm just seeing things. Anyway, uh, good luck."

Toriel and Asgore both nodded as Marty pulled out his phone to waste time while he waited for them. There was a bald man with sunglasses and a dark suit waiting for them at the front door. He did not so much as flinch at the appearance of the two Boss Monsters, possibly the first time a human did not react in fear at Asgore's size. The man nodded and asked, "King Asgore Dreemurr? They're waiting for you inside. If you'll follow me…"

The interior of Beatrice's mansion was just as opulent as its outside. Fine rugs stretched across every hallway, every surface had been meticulously polished, and not a trace of dust could be found anywhere. Toriel marveled at some of the paintings on display, inwardly thinking this house seemed more like a museum than a place people actually lived in; Asgore noticed they were taking a circuitous route, going up one flight of stairs and going down half the length of the house before taking another set of stairs and doubling back. Was she trying to intimidate them by showing off her house? Or was this some form of petty revenge?

Finally the man opened a door and called without entering, "Miss Beatrice, the King of the Monsters Asgore Dreemurr and his guest have arrived." He then gestured the two of them inside.

The room appeared to be a study, bookshelves lining the side and back walls. A sizable space had been cleared out to make room for a fine but unadorned mahogany throne sized for Asgore's ample dimensions. Several men and woman sat in a rough semi-circle facing the throne on relatively modest chairs. At the center of them all, sitting behind an oak desk, was an old woman with thinning white hair tied in a single bun. Time had left its mark on her cracked lips and wrinkled brow, but her eyes continued to shine with the power and vitality of someone much younger. Her face was gaunt but a tiny smile graced it. She would have appeared matronly were it not for the palpable aura of danger around her. Toriel needed none of Doctor Gaster's equipment to know what it was: LOVE, low but not 1. This woman had killed before. The old woman did not rise to offer a handshake but greeted them warmly, "Ah, I assume you are King Asgore Dreemurr. Beatrice Lincoln, we spoke on the phone."

Asgore nodded. "I recognize your voice as well. Thank you for the invitation, it was quite generous of you. Despite, er, the circumstances."

"Because of the circumstances. I have made many enemies and bested nearly all of them over the years, and if there's one thing I've learned to enjoy it's the sight of a defeated rival swaying in the wind. But where are my manners? I should introduce you to the rest of our gathering." She indicated the two men sitting together. "The Troy family, Michael and Isaac. Their daughter vanished seven years ago." They both nodded their heads, expressions carefully neutral. Next to them were a man and a woman, sitting near each other but more noticeably apart than the other couple, grief on their faces. They tried to smile but their eyes were too wet for it to carry over. "The Sunapee family. Their child fled into the neighborhood seventeen years ago." On the opposite side of Beatrice's desk was a young woman with dark brown skin, arms crossed and looking at them only out of the corner of her eye."This is Shakira Eaton, sister of Tyrone Eaton. Her brother vanished fourteen years ago." She made no movement to accompany the introduction, not a curtsy or wave or even perfunctory nod of the head. Other than the monsters she was clearly the person who least wanted to be here. "Next to her is Skye's mother Penny. Her son took that ill-fated dare ten years ago." Penny Harris was a rail-thin woman whose gaze was focused on her hands. She looked up only briefly and her lips pulled taut for a split second in lieu of a smile. "And-"

"Me?" said the last woman, dressed in a flannel shirt with sun-damaged wrinkles around her eyes and blonde hair turning platinum from over-exposure. "Ahm the mean-ass bitch who's gonna shoot ya dead when the rest of 'em are done pickin' your bones. You killed my boy Avery two years ago." She glared a million daggers at Asgore, each one tipped with acid. Despite her threat she did not have the feel of non-zero EXP that Beatrice had.

Beatrice gave a maternal sigh and continued as if the outburst never happened, "… and the widow Campton. As for me, my niece Lilly disappeared twenty four years ago. Now that we've all been introduced, Mr. Dreemurr, who is the… woman, by your side?"

Toriel stiffened. Could she honestly not tell, or was she slighting her in some way? "I am Toriel. Formerly the Queen, I resigned my position after-"

Beatrice raised a hand to stop her. "After what, you need not specify. If it is the event we think it is no explanation is necessary. If it is not it does you no good to correct our misunderstanding. But why are you here, if you have no official power?"

"… I knew each of your children, for a little or a long while. I tried to raise them and protect them as best I could. In a way, we are here today because I failed to do so. I believe the only right thing to do is tell you what I learned of them, cold comfort though it may be."

Beatrice made a hand motion and nodded. "So one of you can tell us how they lived, and the other can tell us how they died. Very good, all very good." The door shut behind them with the echoing thunk of a coffin lid. Beatrice indicated the large throne. "Have a seat, Mr. Dreemurr. Toriel, take the couch. We all have a lot to talk about, it could take quite a while. I would not want either of you to get… uncomfortable." Toriel expected Beatrice's smile to widen into a wolfish grin; that it did not made her somehow all the more unsettling.