Strider Notes: We get to meet a couple of the Nara boys! :D Woot!


Somehow, somewhere, there was a leak in some form of information system. Or someone was watching the property- for some reason, Toki was damn sure it was the latter. Three days after she got home, it was all over the news that she'd reappeared, and had apparently made a successful change.

She hadn't heard a peep from HAM- but then and again, her phone had melted in the fire, and she hadn't gotten another one.

Either way, she was glad when they didn't call. She'd had to handle reporters and a few news channels that had all but demanded to see her, or to get the chance to pester Asgore. Toki ran interference for the King, so he didn't have to spend his few days off being hounded by the masses. He'd come out here for a break- and damn it all, she was going to make sure he got a break.

Between keeping the press from ruining Asgore's visit and cleaning up the remnants of her house, Toki was busy. She got it arranged for the same construction company that was building the monster houses to rebuild her home. It would be larger, more up to date, and not made entirely of wood. She was shelling out for it to be made of brick- which was more resistant to fire per chance she had a magical accident.

She found it easier to manage being so busy now that she wasn't horribly sick, and found joy in doing her work again. Keeping busy kept her too tired to be upset about everything- and she slept too deeply at night for it to ruin her rest.

Sadly, today was the day Asgore was set to return to the castle. She was going to miss having him around- he was tremendously helpful with the kids, and kept them busy and out of the ash while the adults cleaned up everything and worked around the hazards that lay below the soft ash. The wagons were being prepared to be sent back to the castle- some of the wolf guards were changing out, heading back to visit family still underground. The skeleton brothers were picking up the slack for the monsters who were taking time off.

"Miss Nara?" One of the wolves caught her attention, and she padded to the gate while the others helped pack up the empty boxes. "That's not a car I know, and those are not humans I recognize. They do not appear to be with the news crew- but surely rioters would not bring children with them?"

Children?

Toki picked up the pace, and stepped outside the front gates. Parked a bit off from the entrance was a minivan, and spilling out of the minivan… Well, two men and a short woman were making their way out of the car. The woman had a little girl propped on her hip, and had her hand around a boy's.

"Halt"! The guard spoke. "State your business."

"Ah- Wait, these ones are okay! Those are my brothers."

The taller of the two men stared at her for a moment, and recognition flitted across his eyes. He didn't wait long before charging her with a whoop. She didn't bother dodging as he caught her around the neck, making her stumble back into view of the wagons. She hit the dirt with a grunt, but didn't stay there long. He yanked her into a rough headlock. Fist finding her skull, the dark haired man ground his knuckles into her skull until she yelped.

"Fucking hell Han, okay, okay, you win! Let me up you big brute!"

"Watch your fucking language Toki, there's kids here!" Han replied tartly. "And not fucking likely! You right bitch- you told Simmons to tell mom to tell us not to visit until you had a place for us all to stay? What sort of idiot are you? Last we heard, you were dyin' from whatever the fuck radiation shit, and then we find out you pretty much burned alive? The fuck, sis?"

And standing by the wagons was Caeruleus. He watched Toki go down with the human and for the most part panicked. "HEY!" He roared out, taking a shortcut to close the distance before he turned Han's soul blue. Lifting him away from Toki, Cae gave the human a dark look. "Do we have a problem here?" he growled, his left eye lighting up warningly, before he looked to Toki, "Hey, are you okay?"

Toki took the reprieve to get to her feet, rubbing her fingers gingerly over her skull. Han had scrubbed over the crack- and damn had that hurt. She glanced to her brother, still hanging in the air. His hair was crew cut like usual, so it didn't hide the gob smacked look on his face. "I'm alright, Sans, I promise. You can let him down- that's one of my brothers. Han's an asshole- but that's how he shows his worry."

"I'm an asshole?" The man in the air kicked his feet, arms flailing as he scrabbled mid air. "Says the bitch who didn't let us come care for you when you were sick, and who apparently doesn't want us here until you have a house."

"Oh shove off, Han. It's not like we can go back in time and change it- you're an adult, so deal with it. The only reason I told Simmons to relay my message was so I didn't have to deal with the entire clan descending upon the compound." She gives him a dirty look, but sighs. "I'm sorry I scared you guys. I'm okay though, I promise."

"Yeah, well, you've got to make up for scaring us like that, Toki."

He lowered him slowly, but didn't let him go yet. Rather he took a second to focus on Han's soul, checking his LV, wondering why the man had been so aggressive right off the bat. He already had one idea as to why... he just had to be sure...

Hans soul would be sporting a whopping LV of 8, with his attack sitting around ten and his defense at about a fifteen.

Toki shot Sans a glance when her brother was lowered, but not released. Probably to make sure that he didn't attack again. She glanced to her brother, and sighed. "I'll work on making it up to you guys, I promise. You need to behave though, Han. Everyone's pretty on edge with aggressive humans- and I know you're as gentle as a lamb, but you made a terrible first impression."

"Oh don't pull a Mom- I'll apologize when he stops using the 'force' on me. And of course I'm gentle- I'm a music teacher, not a heathen. But you're my sister- and I am fully within my right to noogie you into oblivion for scaring the hell out of us. You made Luna cry."

"Well… shit." That definitely made her feel bad. She glanced to her other brother, who was staying sheepishly out of the way.

Ryushi waved at her, having no desire to get in the middle of his brother's skirmish with a monster.

"A music teacher doesn't just have a LV 8 soul." he growled quietly, but let the human go after a moment.

"A what soul?" Toki blinked. She waved to her brother as Han was let go, and the other approached hesitantly. Her nephew had no such regards, and she found herself with an armful of grumbling eight year old.

Han didn't look much better- confusion filled his face as he got his bearings. "LV 8? What's that mean?"

"... T'be honest, I'd rather not discuss this in front of th' kids..." he said in a lower voice, turning his head slightly before he shortcut away from them, returning to the wagons.

Well that was just grand. Toki watched him go with a frown on her face. "I'll ask him later." She says to her brother, grunting as Dominic tugs on her hand. "I missed you too Dom. If you yank any harder, you're going to yank my hand off."

"You're a butthead." The boy says firmly, latching tightly onto her wrist. Blue eyes stared up at her balefully, framed by the same dark lashes that make up his short hair. "But I still love you, Aunt Toki. C'mon. You gotta go apologize to Luna."

"She's really upset, isn't she?"

"She caught sight of part of the news cast that showed you on fire. It wasn't pretty."

Toki grimaces, and goes to fetch her Niece. Sarah hands her over easily, but remains quiet. Sarah was a quiet woman who spoke very little, but saw most things. How Ryushi landed someone like her, Toki would never know, but she doesn't really care. The American woman goes to collect Han, and make sure that he hadn't gotten too roughed up in squabbling with his sister.

Luna is pressed into her arms. At three years old, the little girl was the spitting image of what Toki looked like when she was that age. Minus the lack of color- Luna was entirely albino. She pouted up at Toki, eyes glimmering wetly, before she shoved her face towards Toki's own.

Eskimo kisses were Luna's thing- and obligingly, Toki leaned down to brush the ridge of bone that remained of her nose against the pudgy soft one of the little girl's. "Am I forgiven, my little Luna-tune?"

The toddler sniffed and nodded. She clung onto Toki, wiggling her fingers into her cloths and effectively becoming a leech. "Yeh."

"Good." She smiles. Keeping one arm supporting the clingy toddler, the other still trapped by her nephew, Toki nods to her brother and motions to the inside of the wall. "C'mon, guys. We can all go sit- and Dom can meet some of the monster kids. I think you'll like Thumper, Dom. He's like Mirou."

"I'm sure Dom'll behave." Ryushi ruffles his son's hair, and leans in to kiss his sister's cheek. "You look healthy, Sis. Better than you did the times we saw you on the newscast. These monsters have been good to you, haven't they?"

"Yeah, they really have."

Upon seeing the tense hold of his brother's shoulders, Aliquam had come to see what had upset Cae, though he looked in surprise at the family. "Who are these humans, Miss Toki?" he asked.

Toki looked relieved that Papyrus hadn't taken on his brother's grouchiness too. She beams at him, and hefts her Niece higher. The toddler tilts her head and peers at the massive skeleton timidly. "Ah, these are my family. This little lady is Luna, and this big fella is her big brother, Dominic. They're my niece and nephew. The shorter man is Ryushi, that's his wife, Sarah, and my other brother Han. Guys," she addresses the lot of them, "This is Papyrus Aliquam Gaster. I'm living with him and his brother while I get my house rebuilt."

Obligingly, her brothers and her sister in law say hello, but ultimately do not wander very close. First impressions are important- Han had made a terrible one with the other skeleton, and this one here was much larger than the last.

"Papyrus Ali-Ali… Papyrus." Dom peers up at the big skeleton, and resolutely clings to his aunt. "You're really big."

"He's really nice though." Toki beams. She nudges Luna gently, and turns so the little girl can better see the skeleton. "Say hi, Luna. Ali's really nice, I promise."

Little ruby eyes glimmer up at the tall skeleton. Luna is curious- but she's not as brash as her brother all the time. She loops one hand around Toki's collarbone, missing her Aunt's wince at the odd sensation, and waves a pudgy hand at the big skeleton. "Ah… Ahli… Quinn? Quinn. Hi…"

"Hello there, everybody" he greeted, before he looked to Luna, hearing the new nickname, he let out a cheerful, 'Nyeh heh heh'. "Oh how adorable! Quinn, that's a new nickname for me!" He announced happily, "I'm gonna be Uncle Quinn." he giggled, "Do you like the sound of that, little human?" he asked.

"Uncle Quinn, huh?" Ryushi began to grin, ignoring the flush that began to grow on Toki's cheeks. "Well, I'll be darned. Mom's going to be so sad she missed the wedding, Sis."

"Unca." Luna nods firmly. "Unca Quinn." Pleased with herself, she reached out to change grasps to her newfound 'uncle'.

Dom on the other hand leered up at his Aunt. "I didn't know you got married, Aunty. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Ah… We're not married, sweetie." She offers him a wry smile, adjusting her hold on Luna so Papyrus could take her if he wanted to.

The large skeleton paid them little mind. Chuckling, Aliquam reached and slowly took Luna, holding her close and stroking her hair, "Well hello there, little one." He purred.

The fluffy white bits of hair would be soft like downy feathers. Pudgy arms reach up for his face, and she scrunches hers up. He had to do the nose thing. He just had to.

With her arm free, Toki leaned down to hug Dom. "I'll explain what that means later, okay?"

"Alright…" The boy huffs slightly, but accepts it. He shifts, and hugs her tighter, before letting go. "Now that you're okay, and we know you're not gone, can I go play?"

"Dom," His father murmurs softly, "It's rude to go wandering off so soon."

"Children will be children, Ryu. It's okay. Alright. We'll go find the other kids here soon, I promise."

He leaned into Luna's hands and softly turned his skull so a smooth part of it rubbed against the tip of her nose. "Nyeh heh heh! Nuzzle nuzzle~" Aliquam chuckles softly, before glancing over to Dominic. "There are many children here, they will be finishing school soon so you need not wait too long." he explained.

Luna is thrilled by the nuzzles she receives, and giggles happily. Her fingers seek out his bones through his clothing and she latches on, much like she had done to Toki. She reclines into his chest, content to be a koala.

Dom makes a face, but nods at Papyrus. "I can wait for them to get out from school."

"You'd better." Ryushi ruffles his son's hair again, and then tugs his sister in for a quick hug. He flicks her one of her horns playfully, and then peers at the crack in her skull. "Hey Sis? Why does your skull have a crack in it?"

"It's from the fire. It didn't quite heal properly, so it scarred- can you not touch it please? The crack is still sensitive."

"It is? Shit." Han is there too, gently yanking her down by her horns so he can look at it. She can see his face, and guilt glimmers in his dark eyes. His teeth worry at his lip as he brushes gentle fingers around the crack. "I am so sorry- did my noogie hurt you? I didn't make the crack worse, did I? It's so big… Oh shit- is it hurting you tugging on your horns?"

"Ack- Han, it's okay. I know you were upset with me, and I really did deserve the tackle- no, the crack isn't worse, and no, you're not hurting my horns." She remains stuck as her brothers investigate her skull. When it's deemed that she's not going to die, they let her straighten. Her ribs rattle with a sigh. "I'm okay, I promise."

"We almost lost you once- you can't blame us for worrying. We'll spread the word though that the crack isn't life threatening." Ryushi gives her a smile.

"Yeah- otherwise you're gonna have to go through all of that again. Mom'll be worse than us."

She grimaces. "Yeah, I know. Mom'd have my skull wrapped in bandages to hold it together before I could get a word in otherwise."

"You can't blame her though, Sis. You're her only daughter- even if you're the oldest you're still her little girl."

She smiles wryly, her head tilting as she picks up the sounds of children approaching.

The monster kids flood out of the housing district, obviously having been let loose from their classes. It wasn't an official school yet- that hadn't been built- but they rotated houses through volunteers to host the kids for classes. After school it became a game to see who the kids could find first- Toki, or some other form of entertainment. For the last while, that entertainment had been Asgore.

"Hey, Han? You usually bring your violin with you everywhere. You have it today?"

"I do, yeah. Why?"

"Why don't you go get it and entertain the kids with it? They haven't had the chance to really be introduced to much human music."

Han looked aghast. "Seriously? I should disown you. You've had your hands on these kids since they moved in, and you haven't given them a proper musical education? Shame on you, Toki. Shame. I'll be right back- make sure they don't steal Dom without me!" He turns on his heel and jogs back for the car.

She watches her brother go and flicks her gaze over to Ryushi. "Did you want to see the village?"

"We do, yes." Sarah steps up to bump shoulders with her husband. "We can wander on our own though. Why don't you go see if your other friend is all right? He seemed pretty upset by Han."

Toki nods. "I'll talk to Sans. Hey, Pap? You might wanna hand Luna back. She gets cranky when Sarah leaves her with anyone and goes off someplace else."

"She just doesn't like to miss anything." Ryushi smiled up at the big skeleton, and opened his arms to accept his daughter. "She likes to be included in our little adventures, don't you Luna-loo?"

The toddler glances to her dad, and huffs. "Yuh."

"Music, huh?" Papyrus had grown interested as he slowly disentangled Luna from his body and handed her over. "I play the violin as well. Sans and Father can play instruments too."

"Toki's got the musical inclination of a tone deaf walrus." Ryushi informs the tall skeleton cheerily, hefting his little girl up into his arms.

"Yeah, but Sis can carry a tune better than any of us." Han was striding back about the same time that the mob of monster kids swarmed out.

"Toki!" Thumper bustled to her, and beamed up at her. "Who're these humans?"

"The one with the fiddle is my brother, Han. He's going to be showing you guys music- and Dom's gonna hang with you too, if that's alright. He's a little bored with the adults. That's Ryushi, my other brother, his wife Sarah, and their daughter, Luna."

"Nice to meet all of you!" The enthusiastic rabbit offers them all a grin. "I don't blame him. All you adults talk about is weird adult things." The rabbit glances to the smaller human, and bounces over to take his hand. "C'mon! We can play tag. You can run fast, right?"

"Faster than you, I'd bet. C'mon, Uncle Han! You can serenade us while we race."

Toki watched the kids steal away a good portion of her family, and laughed quietly. She stayed near Papyrus, and shook her head. "Dom's going to sleep the whole car ride home. Thumper's got a never ending well of energy."

"It'll do him good. He's been so cooped up with school and the problems in the city that he hasn't had the chance to run wild. Han could use the energy too. There's been some stuff happening in his neighborhood, and he had to stay with us for a while. Kids have been setting off firecrackers-"

"Ah." She grimaces. "Say no more. Yeah, it's fine. Let him go relax- he's in his element with the kids. You three enjoy your walk- definitely check out the market too."

"Oh, a market? Well, I know where we're stopping first. Come on, Ryu."

"But that means I have to carry the bags."

"That's what husbands are for, dear."

And soon she is alone with Papyrus. She sighs. Naras. Here one moment, gone the next- or asleep the next. Fickle creatures, her family was. She glanced up at the tall Skeleton with a smile. "I didn't know any of you played. So what does Cae play? The trombone? Bone-gos?"

The sound that accompanied his face palm was surely loud enough to be heard across the town. "Oh my god."

Toki laughed brilliantly, mouth opening as she pressed her palm to it. "I'm so sorry, that sort of slipped out. Heh. Will you forgive me? I know my jokes are terrible."

"He likes Brass instruments, so yes, trombone." He chuckled, "And Father plays the Piano."

She'd take that as a yes. She nods up at him quietly, snags his arm in a small hug. "It takes talent to make music of any kind. As my brothers said, I cant play instruments to save my life. Heh. Speaking of your brother- I'm going to go talk with him real quick, okay? He was in a foul mood about something with Han. Something about a LV 8 soul, or something. I don't know what that means. Your dad and I haven't really gone deep into lessons about souls yet." She was still learning how to skeleton, let alone how to deal with souls.

"Oh dear... An LV 8?" he asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah? That's what Cae said." She blinks up at him, confusion furrowing her brow. "I don't understand. Is a LV 8 bad?"

He looked at her, then looked at the rest of her family as they passed fully out of sight, before he gestured her closer. He knelt down and gave her a serious look.

"… You're really freaking me out here, Pap." Toki's soul flutters nervously, but she draws closer willingly. Her eyes flit over to where the kids had taken Han and Dom, hearing noisy laughter and the merry tune of a fiddle playing.

"A soul is able to gain something called EXP. When it gets enough, it's LV increases. LV 20 is the known cap... and by far the most dangerous."

She blinks. "Huh. How is that a problem then? It doesn't sound bad… Well, except the dangerous part. I don't know how LV makes you dangerous. Just be honest with me, Pap. I'm still learning about this stuff- and I'd rather not blunder into something horribly offensive if I can help it."

"LV... It's an abbreviated name for an Acronym... LOVE..." He said softly.

"I get the feeling that LOVE is different from love, and not in a good way." She hesitates, and peers at his face intently. "Would you be more comfortable if I asked Cae about this?"

"... He's... More used to it..." The tall skeleton looked upset. "I think so..."

She nods, and leans up to gently tap her teeth against his forehead in a soft kiss. For being uncomfortable with the subject, Papyrus had done a better job than she thought he might. Didn't answer everything, but gave her enough to pinpoint what she needed to be directly informed of. "Okay. I'll go talk to him about it- thank you for trying though!" She gives him a smile, and makes a beeline for the brooding skeleton near the wagons. "I'll be right back."

He sighed, and watched her go, before he put on a smile and went to entertain the children with Han.

Toki padded up to Cae, and snagged his jacket sleeve. She tugs him over towards the wall, away from the other people, before turning to stare up at him. "Alright. Explain please. Paps made an attempt, but he's not comfortable with it, and I don't want him to be upset trying to explain something. We got as far as LV being an acronym for LOVE, but not what any of that means, or how it and EXP are bad."

He looked at her, grinding his teeth for a moment. And then he sighed. "EXP stands for Execution Points. Get enough, you gain LOVE. LOVE stands for Level Of Violence. Just how comfortable someone is with killing. Do you get what I'm saying?" He grit his teeth slightly, a tight grin that wasn't really a grin being given to her. His sockets were dark. "Your brother has a LV of 8. There's blood, and potentially dust, on his hands. He's killed a lot of people, Toki. A lot."

Her mouth dropped open, understanding blooming in her eyes. Oh. Oh, that's what this was about. He thought… She reached up and tugged his hands gently into her own. Slowly, she spoke so that the other monsters couldn't overhear. "Han is ex military." She explains softly. "In the military, you have to follow orders. He was in the military for several years- and he was good at what his superiors had him do. Sometimes what he was ordered to do was not always a good thing. Han is by nature a gentle person- he retired as soon as his superiors would let him go. He has nightmares and freezes up at loud popping sounds. Blood on his hands, yes. Dust? Definitely not. He can't handle killing an insect now, let alone doing something so heinous as to kill a monster."

She peers up at him quietly. "I understand your alarm- but I know my brother probably as well as you know yours. Han isn't a threat to anyone here. He's rough and tumble with me because I'm his sister, and siblings often scuffle. It's a human thing, I think. We're all rough little hoodlums when we're little. His signature way of letting me know I'm in deep shit is to tackle me and noogie me."

Cae looked at her for a long while, processing just what she was saying. Well. He'd made a complete ass of himself, hadn't he? He sighed, which was followed by a frustrated groan. The lights return to his sockets, and his grin loosens into a frown. "Shit... I've made an awful first impression, haven't I, Toki..."

"Well, to be fair, your first impression of him was a mildly violent sibling scuffle. It was just a bad way to introduce each other." She offers him a quiet smile, and rubs the backs of his knuckles soothingly. "Just apologize to him, yeah? You don't have to go in depth- just tell him you and I talked, and we explained some things, and that you had needed some reassurance. I need to explain to Papyrus what I told you, so he isn't too alarmed either. Lets not mention the LV thing to Han though. He beats himself up enough over it as it is, yeah? The last thing my brother needs is to know it made a permanent mark on his soul."

He sunk slightly into his coat, and glanced away. "Yeah... Wanna help me go find him?"

"Han? Follow the sound of the violin- he's with the kids. Introducing them to human music- and no doubt making a fool of himself. I can hear the laughter from here." It was faint, over the din of moving monsters and boxes being arranged, but it was audible. "I can go with you if you want. Han doesn't bite though, I promise." Papyrus would no doubt be there too, since he'd followed after. Two birds with one stone. She nods. "C'mon. Lets go get you and my brother on better terms."

"You think so, huh?" Caeruleus laughed quietly at that. "Alright, let's go."

"Well, he might bite if you asked him nicely, but I doubt it." She lets his hands go, and heads off in the direction of the music. Really, it wasn't hard to find them. Her brother could be such a show pony when he wanted to be- he was in the park, prancing around like a fool and playing some amusing show tune. The kids were laughing and clapping along, while some of them played tag in the back ground.

Dominic was among those running, and he looked completely exhausted, though determined to catch the fleet-footed rabbit monsters that dashed circles around him. Twitch was having a blast, bolting around him like a fuzzy blur, while Thumper ran circles around Papyrus.

Toki stopped a little ways away from her brother, and motioned Sans to step forth.

When she gave the gesture to approach, he slowly did, smiling with his stuck grin. "Heya... Han?"

Han glanced over when the big monster approached, and offered a hesitant smile. His music faded off, and he faced the kids for a moment. "Hey, munchkins, I'm gonna rest my fingers for a second and talk to the big guy here. Why don't you go see how many of you can cling to Papyrus before he falls over?"

Challenge accepted apparently, as the hoard of kids swarms the taller skeleton. Han can see his sister failing to hide her laughter, and counts it as a win. Free, he turns to the skeleton in the blue coat. "Ah… Sans, right? I'm sorry if I spooked you guys. I forget that you monsters aren't used to human roughhousing."

Upon being swarmed, there was a shrill "NYEH!" of panic from Quinn. The tall skeleton goes down, disappearing under a hoard of clamoring monster kids. "NO! The great Papyrus' greatest weakness! CHILDREN!"

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions." he said in return, reaching up to rub his skull awkwardly. "I think we should try t' start over..." He mentioned, before he chuckled softly. "Hey uh, Han... Do ya' know how t' greet a new pal?"

Han heard the laughter of his sister ringing out alongside the various noises of panic from Papyrus, and he let a chuckle escape himself. He looked at Sans, a hesitant smile tugging at his lips. "I have a guess, but in case I'm wrong, you mind telling me?"

"Heh, No problem. Hell, it'll be a life lesson for ya. You greet a new pal..."

He then held his hand out

"By shakin' their hand."

Han looked at his hand- his claws moreover- and for a moment Cae could guess the human was expecting it to bite him, which would be rather amusing... But after enough consideration, Han extended his own hand. "Screw it. To new beginnings, Right?"

"Yeah. Heh... The Name's Caeruleus." Cae reached and gripped the human's hand firmly, met with a firm handshake in return.

Perfect. The whoopee cushion hidden in his palm flattened, the air escaping in a very crude, and very loud-

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTT

Hans' eyes went wide as his cheeks tinged red, and he sputtered out a laugh.

Sans' eyes gleamed in amusement, his grin widening as a loud chuckle escaped him. "And you just got dunked on, pal."