"For what it's worth," Gaster said with a miserable smile, "For your first fight it wasn't all that bad. Ammy will probably be proud… you know… when she's done being pissed."

Grillby and Gaster had been penned up in the stockade for the past two days, as was customary for any monsters caught in the middle of a fight. The other three monsters involved had been wisely moved to the medical tent first, then thrown in a makeshift stocks on the other side of the camp to serve out their time.

Amathea had been the first one on the scene to break them up, followed quickly by Brigg and two other commanders Grillby hadn't recognized, probably there for the other monsters involved. They'd gotten an earful from Amathea first, cursing the stars above for being stuck with such irresponsible fopdoodles, acting like a pair of skelpie-limmers. Doing quisby for this fustilarian tripe of a brawl, what utter gob-shite they were. A rough translation from Gaster later said she was yelling about them acting childish and wasting their time on stupidity. Well. She wasn't wrong.

Grillby hadn't stopped pacing since they'd been penned in their makeshift prison. The rut he'd started to wear was impressive. Well, it wasn't a rut really. More a circular path stamped in with shoe-prints and scorch marks. Within the first few hours of them being stuck in there, Gaster had given up on trying to get Grillby to calm down. No matter what he said or did, Grillby insisted on standing and pacing. Mostly in silence. Occasionally making an outburst about how rashly and stupidly he'd acted. Pensively rambling about how none of this should have happened.

"Grillby you've been at this for literally days," Gaster sighed, "Look, monsters get into fights. It just happens sometimes. They'll give us a slap on the wrist and let us out by tonight. Then Ammy will grind our noses into the dirt with training and everything will be fine."

"I don't fight," Grillby said sternly, not pausing for so much as a step, "I never fight."

"Okay, okay," Gaster raised his hands placatingly, "It happened once. It's nothing to lose sleep over."

There was a pause where Gaster's only answer was the sound of Grillby pacing.

"Aren't you exhausted?"

More pacing.

"Grillby! You've been red since last night, you're going to put yourself out!"

This Grillby knew was ridiculous. Something as stupid as pacing all night wouldn't put him out. Not in the slightest. But before Grillby could protest, Gaster had pinged his soul blue. Grillby found himself forced to the ground beside Gaster, landing with a startled 'oof'. He gave the skeleton a vicious glare.

"Oh pout all you want," Gaster muttered, stubbornly holding Grillby in place, "You're resting for five minutes. If for nothing else than for my sanity. You didn't even sleep, firefly."

The most Grillby could protest at this point was by crossing his arms and twitching his foot where he lay - which he did. He let out a pensive sigh.

"What's your problem, anyway?" Gaster signed tiredly, frowning down at the sputtering flame, "If you were just going to regret it so much later, why bother intervening in the first place?"

Grillby crackled a sharp laugh, "It was literally impossible for me not to do anything. You were about to get beat half to dust. I had to do something."

"Not true," Gaster shrugged, "You could've just let me take whatever I had coming. I mean, for all you know I deserved it."

Grillby blinked up at the skeleton, thoughtfully quiet. He'd never really… actually asked what the fight was about. Well, not in a way that got him a straight answer at least. And even when he was answered, he was a little too worked up to pay attention. He'd just been so angry. He'd lost control of his sense of reason for a whole two minutes. How terrifying.

"Did you deserve it?" Grillby asked.

Gaster gave a noncommittal shrug, "Depends on who you ask."

"I'm asking you."

To this, Gaster gave a broad grin, one that both annoyed and unsettled Grillby.

"What did you do?"

"Oh it really was just a big, stupid misunderstanding," Gaster laughed, "We were playing knucklebones, there might have been some gambling involved."

Grillby gave an exasperated groan.

"And I was having a real good lucky streak actually," Gaster said pleasantly, "And it was looking like I was going to win the final round. And insults start being thrown about. Which I personally took offense to. I was being such a good sport about it too-"

"You insulted them back," Grillby corrected, flashing Gaster a withering glare.

"-and they didn't appreciate my humor about the situation at all," Gaster continued with a grin, "And started saying things about me cheating. And it just kept escalating. I mean, I tried to avoid the conflict-"

"You ran away. Probably insulting them the entire time."

"-but they just wouldn't give up the chase. Some monsters are just so unreasonable."

"So what, they accused you of cheating so you guys started calling each others' bluff?" Grillby asked with a bitter crackle, "That's it?"

"Well mostly it, yes."

Grillby let out a loud whine, pulling the hood Gaster had oh-so-kindly stitched into his clothing weeks before down over his face, "I almost seared a monster's arm off over a game of knucklebones?!"

Gaster chuckled and patted Grillby on the shoulder, "Oh there there. You didn't fight anyone over a game of knucklebones. You fought them because they were fighting me over a game of knucklebones."

Grillby let out another low whine, his fire somehow managing to sputter even lower and cooler than it had before, "All over a stupid misunderstanding. Because they thought you were cheating? What's even the point to that?"

Gaster wagged a finger at Grillby condescendingly, a laugh at the edge of his voice as he spoke, "Now now, firefly, don't you start assuming things now. At what point did I ever say I wasn't cheating?"

Grillby blinked up at the skeleton, muted horror rippling through his flame in pale whites and greens.

"No."

Gaster's face split in a wide grin.

"No."

Barely stifling a laugh, shoulders bobbing as he strove to contain, Gaster signed out a single motion to Grillby.

Yes.

"I could literally kill you right now."

Gaster gave a shrug, his grin settling back into that normal, lackadaisical stupor, "I do have that effect on people."

"What would ever possess you to do that?!" Grillby whined, pulling his hood as low as he could over his face shamefully, "This is why all the religious monsters say gambling is of the devil. You know that right? You. Right now. Living proof."

Gaster gave a hearty laugh at this, "Oh fine, fine. I'll never ever do it again. Will that make you stop whining?"

Grillby shot Gaster a sideways glare from underneath his hood, "I don't believe you."

Gaster chuckled again, offering out a pinky finger for Grillby to shake with his own, "Pinky promise."

"Last time you offered me that, you tried to kill me," the elemental growled stubbornly.

"Well I do already have your soul blue," Gaster grinned.

If Grillby could raise an eyebrow at the skeleton, he could have. Instead, he wrapped his pinky finger around the skeleton's and gave it a suspicious shake.

"If you get into a fight again over something stupid like this, I refuse to come save you," Grillby muttered.

"That's fair."

"And I'm breaking that finger."

Gaster let out an exaggerated squeak, shielding his vulnerable pinky away from Grillby and opening his eyes as wide as he could manage, "No."

"Yes," Grillby tutted, though a smile had managed to creep back into his voice, "I'll snap it right off. Mandatory promise rules."

"Says the guy who didn't even know what that was a month ago," Gaster muttered with a laugh. The two lapsed into a bit more comfortable of a silence than they had been in before, Gaster finally releasing his hold on Grillby's soul so the elemental could at the very least make himself comfortable on the ground. The skeleton gave a quiet sigh, looking back over at the elemental.

"In all seriousness though, thank you," he said, the smile on his face waning as he gave a sigh, "That was a mess and you got me out of it. And I appreciate it."

Grillby paused, letting those words sink in a moment before saying, "Yeah well… I'm sure you would do the same for me so… don't worry about it."

Grillby sighed out a hiss of smoke, his gaze locked on the sky and away from the skeleton that had begun scrutinizing him oh-so-closely as he spoke, "And if you wouldn't do the same then… well I still wouldn't worry about it. I mean, there's no point in anyone trying to rescue something that can't exactly die, right?"

Gaster frowned, the full body kind of frown that dragged his shoulders down and curved his spine and forced his arms to hug his knees. The brow above the eye that could still move pulled down harshly, the lights of his eyes dimmed just a bit. For a few seconds, he was rendered completely speechless, his mind reeling around a bit to find something appropriate to say.

"I'd still back you up," Gaster managed finally, "I mean… I'd probably make everything worse, what with you worrying about how fragile I am so often."

He gave a grim chuckle at this and shrugged, "But it'd be cruel to make you face things alone. Even if you are mostly invincible."

He grinned, " 'Sides, someone's gotta drag you outta the rain when you're too dumb to run for cover."

Grillby gave a condescending tut!, "That happened once."

"Still happened."

"And you grabbing me in time was pure luck."

Gaster huffed a laugh, grinning, a comeback on the edge of his teeth, when Amathea's voice cut him off. The two of them were immediately on their feet, listening as her voice grew closer. When she was close enough for the two of them to make out what she was saying, however, and who she was arguing with, all previous pleasantry from them dropped out of the air like fizzling magic.

"- no use in talking about this any more. You brought your case to Commander Dreemurr himself, and even he told you you're completely out of line."

"That's because Dreemurr is too soft-hearted to take away the job of a handicapped veteran!" came the snarled response, "I don't care what you used to be capable on the front lines. What matters is what you can do in the present. And you are clearly incapable of training the pair of drabble you have."

"What, because of one scrap?" her voice was right near the door to the stockade now, her hand might as well be on the latch, "Brigg if you intended to take away the work of every small unit commander who's had boys in a fight you'd lose half the army."

There was a huff and a growl, Brigg about to make some retort when Amathea's voice snapped his chance away, "This is not a discussion. Come at me with some intent, commander and I'll match you. But if you just intend to vent in my ear then I would suggest you find someone who cares."

Grillby and Gaster exchanged a glance. Using what broken up signing he could manage, Grillby asked silently:

Threat?

Gaster signed slowly back. It took Grillby a second of piecing together, but with a startled flicker he got it.

Sounds more like a duel, to me.

That was a scary thought.

The two weren't given a chance to dwell on it long. The door to the stockade was pulled open with a flourish and Amathea stepped aside to let them out. Brigg was already storming off, disappearing into the mess of tents and bodies outside. Gaster gave Amathea a nervous grin.

"Are mom and dad fighting?" he asked playfully, earning himself a hearty punch to the shoulder.

"You. Shut up," she said with an unamused scowl, her fist planting itself firmly on her hip as she exclaimed, "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?! Gambling. Cheating. Brawling. Causing a huge disturbance."

Her glare shot around to Grillby, making the elemental flinch, "And you. You sent one monster to the hospital tent with scarring burns. And that poor pyrope won't be able to light properly for a week."

She snarled back to Gaster again, "And that other beastie had at least twelve stitches! Twelve, Gaster!"

"I know I know, it was a mess," Gaster said quickly, signing frenetically as he went, "It was dumb and it won't happen again, I swear."

He gave Grillby a sideways glance, "Double swear."

Amathea poked him hard in the sternum, making the skeleton flinch back a step, "Oh, you better believe it isn't happening again. So help me, I'm going to run you so ragged you won't even have time to think. And that goes double for you, tinderbox! You were supposed to stop him from doing something stupid. Not make it worse!"

Amathea let out an angry sigh, her gills flaring in a huff. She closed her eyes tightly, moving her hand up to pinch the space between them.

"Aiya!" she growled past her gritted teeth, "My mother always told me I'd grow up to have children just like me, and I didn't even have to have my own for that damn curse to work."

Gaster and Grillby exchanged an uncomfortable glance. Well, if they hadn't been feeling guilty before, they were certainly feeling it now. Gaster scratched the back of his head awkwardly, frowning to himself for a moment before his hands moved sluggishly to voice a thought. Some kind of consolation. A sigh from Amathea cut him off. She gave the two of them a tired smirk, a withering kind of look that displayed some kind of haggard and worried optimism. She gave the two a searching look up and down before allowing her smile to get a bit brighter.

"I suppose I must have taught you a thing or two right, though," she laughed quietly, "You came out pretty well unscathed didn't ya?"

Grillby gave a nervous laugh, "That was more an accomplishment on Gaster's part. It was three against one when I showed up."

"Yeah, and it's a good thing you did show up, or things would've gone much differently I'll bet," Amathea hummed, "Let that be a lesson to you Gaster. Don't pick a fight you can't win."

"Yes ma'am," Gaster laughed sheepishly, "Like I said, won't happen again."

He paused before adding, "I mean, unless they start it-"

"Don't you even finish that sentence," Amathea groaned, "Alright, let's get home. I'd like to actually sleep tonight."

She turned and started walking, expecting them to follow, "Heaven's alive, that tent being empty is a plight on the nerves on a dark night."

Grillby wasn't sure whether the whole ordeal had gone better or worse than he'd expected. Assuming he'd expected anything at all. The words he'd heard Amathea and Brigg exchanging wouldn't leave him as they walked, though, and he found himself frowning tensely about them as they went. Brigg wasn't a friendly monster to begin with. Obviously the elemental didn't know him personally, and normally he'd hate to assume. But the thought of Brigg calling Amathea's authority into question all because of Grillby and Gaster's petty mistake? That was a thought that made his core boil. They were halfway to the tent when Grillby gathered up enough nerve to ask about it.

"Amathea? Was Brigg… threatening you?"

The fish monster barked a loud laugh, "One fight down and you're already itching for more, are you?"

Grillby gave a flustered flicker, "N-no. That's not it at all! It's just… if he's giving grief over us-"

"Brigg's problem with me runs a bit deeper than just you two," Amathea hummed, cutting the elemental off, "The scaley means well, I'll give him that much. He's the type of brute that needs to know without a shadow of a doubt that he can protect what he needs to, and he's unafraid of making hard decisions to realize that. There's something to respect in that. Takes a strong soul to believe that way."

"... Right…" Grillby said slowly.

"However, he believes you have to have a certain soundness of mind, body and soul to protect monsterkind to the best of your ability," Amathia's fins twitched and she scowled, "So monsters like myself he believes are no longer fit to fight. A lot of monsters would agree with him, I'll grant you. Monsters who reassigned my unit and sat me aside as an escort. But I tell you lads, it's the strength of the soul that makes a monster, and my soul is strong and fierce and will stay that way for as long as I live, make no mistake!"

She huffed a bitter sigh and glowered, "And if I have to beat that into his scaly hide then I will."

Grillby glanced sideways to Gaster, and the skeleton frowned and signed worriedly back. There was a pause between them before Gaster spoke up.

"So what happens if he decides to duel you then?" the skeleton asked.

Amathea shrugged, "Dunno. I've never dueled before. But if it comes to that, you better believe I'll have a lot of fun making him look like a pin pillow."

Neither of them had much of a response to that.

Author's Notes

Wooooo things are starting to get a little hairy ,0