A/N: Here we go.
Week was boring. Still waiting for it to be next month, so that I can just overload this story with words. That's... about it.
Well, anyways, let's get on with it.
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-~o0o~-
You wake up from your nap, a delicious smell tickling your nose, reminding you of autumn.
You almost step on the pie, when moving to turn on the light. The fork clinks against the plate as it tips under your foot, before you stumble back.
You pause, confused, hesitantly shifting on your feet, before crouching down in the dark. You poke and prod, in the dark, against the floor. Your finger eventually prods at something sticky and warm. You draw your finger back, hesitantly sniffing it, only to be assaulted by the smell of butterscotch and cinnamon. You then, hesitantly, put your finger in your mouth.
Finley tucks a strand of wet hair behind her ear, wishing she had a hair tie. She was back in her clothes, sitting on the bed in what would presumably be her room, if she ever chose to stay.
She wouldn't.
Mostly because, well, nothing against Goat-Mom, but she wasn't a kid, and she wasn't up to pretending to be one. And it was pretty obvious, if how Toriel had acted was any indication, that's... ultimately what would happen, here. Toriel looked at her and saw a kid, and there was no way that she could be told to back the hell off.
...And that sounded harsh even in her own head. Finley sighs, staring off up at where the opposite wall met the ceiling, absently stretching out her legs and crossing her ankles in the air since they couldn't touch the floor.
The truth was, if there was a way to convince Toriel to treat her like someone who wasn't five, she probably wouldn't have the guts to actually stick up for herself and try it. Toriel would see a little kid, and treat her like one, and she'd likely be enough of a silent pushover to not disagree. Besides, it's not like anything else would be believed, anyways.
And she really didn't like the idea of being trapped down here, no matter how nice it was. What would she even do, while she was here? Read? She doubts there'd be anything she'd be interested in, and even if there was, what happened when she was done reading and finally got bored? She really doubts she'd even be able to leave the house safely, with monsters lingering around.
...But all of that just left leaving the Ruins.
And she wasn't sure she was ready for that.
Finley put her head in her hands, rubbing at her face.
Are you feeling better, now?
Finley stops, hand resting on her face for a moment, before slowly lowering. She didn't say anything. She wasn't going to say anything.
...You keep on ignoring me. I don't really like it.
Tough. She gave the wall across from her a narrow-eyed look, hands starting to fist.
Why do you keep doing that? It finally asks. Why is it that whenever you talk to me, you sound so... so... mean?
Finley didn't respond, huffing and laying back in the bed, letting her legs hang loose off the edge. What stupid bullshit, letting a voice in her head try and drag her down and make her feel guilty for treating it badly. Like I haven't been through that shit already...
You've had people stuck in your head before? The voice said, sounding surprised. That's really weird.
"Screw you."
Language!
"Oh, excuse me." She said, pulling a hand up and dramatically resting it against her chest. She pretended to bat her eyelashes. "What I really meant was fuck you, you little cunt."
The voice gasps. That's a really bad word!
Finley just smiles. "I know."
Then why did you say it!?
"Because you fucking hate it."
Stop!
"Then stop talking."
But- I- You- The voice made an inarticulate sound of rage. Fine.
It was pouting, Finley could tell that much. She rolls her eyes. Well, whatever.
She rolls over onto her front, grunting as she pushes and turns herself to rest properly on the bed, until she was on her stomach staring off to the far corner of the room.
It was kinda weird, that this room didn't have a second bed, at least when you think about it. You'd think there would be, if Asriel had found Chara in the Ruins like the stories had indicated. They must have moved not long after Chara fell, for there to still only be one bed in here. Though, I guess there is always the possibility that Toriel just got rid of the other one... Though I wonder if she'd really bring herself to do that.
She pauses, half expecting the voice to respond with something nonsensical about the situation here (it was a part of her - what did it really know about what was going on here?), only to be met with silence. Finley raises an eyebrow, confused. Why wasn't it talking?
I thought you didn't want me to talk?
I don't.
It huffs, before going silent.
Finley's eyebrows raise. It had actually listened, when she'd tried to threaten it?
...She actually didn't expect that to work. It generally didn't just go away like that.
She blinks, resting her cheek against the bed. Huh.
...Well, okay then. What was she thinking about? Oh, the beds - Chara must not have shared this room with Asriel, when they where growing up together. She wonders what they did while they where staying here, though - did they bunk together, or make pillow forts on the floor? Or blanket nests? Or maybe just hang out in some sleeping bags? Did they fight over the bed? Did the oldest get sleeping rights, or the youngest? She kinda wonders which was which. Was Asriel the baby of the family as well as a cry baby, or was he the older brother?
Just like Will-
Finley breathed in sharply, feeling her heart clench in pain. Oh. Right. He was-She closed her eyes, pushing off the thoughts and painful reminders suddenly surfacing. Too much shit right now - she didn't want to deal with this right now. She'd done enough crying, today. Maybe he deserved being mourned, but she didn't deserve to be the one weighed down by it constantly.
Well... that had been a hopelessly inane thought, anyways. Moving on - and moving out.
She suddenly rolls off the bed, expecting to land on her feet but stumbling and about halfway twisting her ankle instead on her journey straight down to the floor. She grunts in pain, rolling off of her folded legs and rubbing her foot, before pushing herself to her feet. Well, shit all is going to get done sitting around in here.
Language!
Finley just rolls her eyes.
There was a quick glance at the basement stairs on her way to the living room, but that was quickly dismissed with the excuse of pie. She entered the next room with a quick look around, taking in the table for dining and the fireplace blazing, along with the Goat-Mom perusing a well-loved old book. It was homely, and toasty, and Finley had to quickly dismiss the urge to curl up near the fire with a blanket.
Toriel looks up as she enters. "Done already, I see?" She says, closing her book. "Well, you should be heading off to bed soon, but not before you have your piece of pie. It should have cooled down enough by now, I think." She sat up from her chair, placing the closed book down in the seat, before turning to head towards where Finley knew the kitchen was.
Toriel was already cutting the pie with a pie server when she walks in, meticulously cutting it into sections, before carefully lifting out and plating a slice of the Butterscotch-cinnamon pie. "Here you are." She says, handing Finley the slice of pie with a smile.
"Thanks." Finley says, taking the plate. She notices that Toriel didn't take a slice of pie for herself, but chose not to comment, instead heading back out of the kitchen.
Finley walks past the lone sitting chair in the living room, stopping and debating a moment with herself as she saw the fire in the hearth, before heading over to the table instead. Toriel probably wouldn't approve of her eating while sitting on the floor, no matter how much she liked the fire.
To her surprise, next to her, Toriel also pulls out a chair. She was holding the book she'd had earlier, placing it on the table as she sat down. The woman caught her staring, and Finley quickly had to gather her wits to not be embarrassing, instead quickly pulling out the chair - which also proves quickly futile as the chair scrapes noisily across the floor in her lone hand, as she was still holding the plate with the other.
Finley glances up at Toriel, who was hiding a smile. Finley ducks her head back down, causing the woman to quietly laugh. Finley felt her face go red, as she defeatedly places the pie on the table before using both of her hands to move the chair far enough to actually sit in it.
After situating herself, Finley glances back at Toriel again, still not quite sure why the woman was there. Toriel herself was idly thumbing through the pages slowly, but her eyes were distant and uncomprehending. It looks like she didn't know what she was doing, either.
"Um." Toriel finally said, fingers worrying the pages as she glances up at Finley. "I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here." And suddenly, Finley was feeling guilty as hell. "There are so many old books I want to share. I also want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot."
"I've also prepared a curriculum for your education." She says, smiling. "This may come as a surprise to you, but I have always wanted to be a teacher." She pauses, glancing down at the book a moment, frowning. "...Actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising."
"Still." She says, firmly. "I am glad to have you living here."
Finley shifts under her gaze, acutely aware of the silence as it stretched for far too long. "...You're..." She almost choked on the words. "You're welcome."
Toriel's smile went wider, crinkled eyes glittering, and Finley felt her insides just shrivel up at the revolting feeling in her stomach.
The taste explodes across your senses. The smell suddenly connects in your brain. You mom used to make apple pies, filled with cinnamon and covered up with buttery crust, every time the apples went ripe when the leaves turned. It was why, when Toriel had called you, you had tearfully told her that you preferred cinnamon.
Now, the taste... it...
You didn't bother eating the pie - you simply turn to where the light crept in from under the bedroom door and made your way out, wiping your eyes. You had questions that needed answers.
-~o0o~-
A/N: Yep, this chapter was all about pie. Pie, pie, pie.
...I suddenly really want apple pie.