Ch. 25: Found ties
He stared at the baking cookies through the small window in the oven.
The shock of seeing so many new things already was only now beginning to fully wear off, Gaster could never have imagined half of what he had seen. He liked it here in the king's home, he hadn't had a chance to look around very well yet but he liked the comfortable and cozy feel of what he had seen so far. The small place was tucked away, secluded but not isolated. The world was still out there, but at a comfortable distance. As if a person could chose to go out to it when they wanted to but it wouldn't come in to intrude here.
He knelt in front of the oven and continued to stare at the cookies as the timer softly ticked down the time it would take before they were done. The change as they flattened out and darkened was so slow that he couldn't see it as it happened but he continued to watch them anyway. He would smile and glance over at the king occasionally, always getting a beaming smile in return. As the cookies baked the king went about preparing tea, placing teabags in the warmed pot and adding the heated water from the kettle before covering it with a knitted tea cozy. Gaster watched as the king gathered the teapot and several cups onto a tray that sat on the counter.
Gaster glanced back over to the oven and then the timer, just before it was about to reach zero the king reached over to switch it off. "These will be hot when I take them out young one, don't touch them right away."
Gaster stood and backed away from the oven as the king pulled on oven mitts to grab the trays of cookies with. The king set them on top of the stove and set a large plate down on the counter nearby. Gaster was surprise by how very enticing the cookies smelled and he watched as the king scooped them with a spatula onto the plate. To his disappointment though they still looked very soft and squishy as the king moved them.
"Here young one, you take these." The king handed Gaster the plate of cookies, carefully supporting it's weight until he was sure that Gaster had a good grip on it before turning to pick up the tray with the tea. "Let's bring these out to the others."
The king led Gaster back out to the room where the others waited at the table, Cadis and the captain were talking while Sidd watched them quietly. The king set down his tray before helping Gaster to lift the plate of cookies onto the table. Gaster couldn't help but laugh a little at the way Cadis eyed them hungrily and was clearly struggling to keep himself from digging in immediately.
The king sat in one of the free chairs and motioned for Gaster to sit next to him. Gaster sat and watched as the king poured cups of tea for everyone, passing one to him as well. He stared dubiously at the liquid in the cup, he had never tried to drink anything before and he was not eager about trying to.
He glanced at the king who smiled at him encouragingly, "tea is one of my favorite things to share with others, I hope you like it young one."
Gaster looked back down at the cup with a grim determination as he cradled it gently between his hands. He brought it slowly up to his face, eyeing it one more time before bringing it to his mouth. He carefully positioned the rim of the cup against his teeth so that it wouldn't dribble down his chin as he ever so slowly tipped the cup up.
It was a very strange sensation to have the liquid slowly pour into his mouth. He stopped after a small amount so that the magic that held it where it was behind his jaw could dissolve it before he added any more. He tried not to make a face at the strange flavor of it as he instinctively swallowed, making it dissolve almost instantly.
Gaster glanced back at the king again who gave him an amused smile, "here young one, try adding milk to it." Gaster took the small pitcher that was offered to him, looking down at the white liquid that was inside of it. He slowly tipped it over his cup, careful not to pour too much of it out and overflow his cup. He tentatively brought the tea up for another try once he was done, it was much sweeter and creamier this time. Gaster carefully took a few more sips before lowering the cup again.
As Cadis reached eagerly for the cooling cookies the captain caught his hand, his tone was light but also slightly serious, "now remember to pace yourself lad, these are for everyone." Cadis glanced up at the captain before giving a sheepish smile and nod, his movements toward the cookies were much more delicate and restrained after that. The captain and the king each took a cookie from the plate as well.
After a moment Sidd also reached for a cookie, Gaster watched them each take a few bites from their cookies before he reached for one as well. He held up the still rather soft cookie disappointedly, frowning slightly as he watched it fold under it's own weight.
The king gave a soft chuckle, "it will be more solid if you wait for it to cool more young one."
Gaster glanced at the king before nodding, setting the cookie down to cool and hopefully become a more acceptable consistency before he ate it. He looked back to his tea again, taking a few more small sips as he waited.
When he picked up the cookie again it was definitely more solid this time. He glanced over at Cadis for a moment, thankfully the dog guard was taking more care than usual with his chewing. As he usually did Gaster held one hand in front of his mouth so that it wouldn't look disturbing when he ate and he used the other hand to hold the cookie as he nibbled at it. The cookie was still a little soft but just enough so that it was chewy instead of crumbly, he smiled at the deliciously sweet flavor of it.
Gaster took more small bites, savoring the taste of the treat. After another bite he stopped, stiffening slightly at a sudden strange sensation he felt in his soul. After a moment it passed and he slowly relaxed a little, waiting a little to see if the feeling returned before he continued to nibble at the cookie. After another few bites he felt it again. He tensed until it passed, waiting a bit longer before he returned to bite at the cookie much slower than he had before.
Again after a short while the feeling returned, Gaster stiffened again as he tried to concentrate on it. The sensation was somewhat familiar but in an odd way, it was like he could recall this feeling but not at this intensity. It was familiar but also somehow much more . . . gentle than whatever it reminded him of. Gaster stared at what remained of the cookie as he thought, trying to place where he knew the fleeting feeling from.
He took a nibbling bite and then another as he thought, the feeling came again and he didn't tense up as much this time as he tired to examine it more closely. It wasn't painful or really even uncomfortable, just entirely unexpected. It felt like . . . a trickle of energy entering his soul. Gaster furrowed his brow as he stared incredulously down at the last bite of his cookie. After a moment he popped it into his mouth, waiting to see if he felt it again. Nothing.
Gaster reached for another cookie but after a few small bites he didn't feel it again so he just focused on the taste of the cookie as he ate. He found that it only happened twice more by the time that he finished his second cookie. It was definitely a very odd sensation to feel energy flowing from his body into his soul rather than the other way around. But he was more than relived to find that it didn't hurt or even make him stiffen like his injections did.
He took a few more sips of his tea, drumming his fingers against the sides of the cup as he looked around at what he could from where he sat. There wasn't much in this room beyond the table, the fireplace and a large bookshelf that sat beside it. He glanced back down at his mostly full cup of tea and then at the plate of cookies which still had about a quarter of the original amount remaining. He did rather like the taste of these things but he didn't really crave them. He had heard Cadis talk about being hungry before but he wasn't sure what that was like. He knew what it felt like to be painfully low on energy but he was relatively certain that was different.
"If you are done eating young one you can go look around for a little."
Gaster was almost startled by the king's voice, he hadn't realized the king had been watching him. He glanced over to the hall then back to the king again. 'Really?'
The king gave him an amused smile, "Yes really. Just stay inside for now and don't go downstairs, alright?"
Gaster gave the king a quick nod, he slid off of his chair and slowly walked toward the hall. He glanced back again before leaving the room, the king gave him another smile and motioned for him to go on. Gaster smiled in return before he walked out into the hall.
He walked down the hall, giving the stairs that led downward a curious glance before moving on. He looked closely at the glass lamps that lined the walls and the long worn but well looked after rug that ran along the floor. He paused by one of the several golden flowers he had seen, reaching up to carefully feel it's soft petals and breath in it's fresh scent.
Gaster continued down the hall, passing by the doors until he reached the end. He only gave the mirror at the end a glance before he turned to the door closest to him. He hesitated a moment, looking back down the hall for a second before returning his attention to the door. The king had told him that he could look around and there didn't seem to be much to look at beyond the rooms that lined the hall.
He opened the door and walked into the room. There was a desk near the door and large bed beyond it, there was also a dresser and a tall wardrobe against the back wall. Gaster glanced at the desk, there was an open book sitting on it and he recognized the king's neat and flowing handwriting on the pages. He squinted down at it as he tried to make out what was written in it, 'tomorrow I will be bringing the young one out of the lab for the first time, I hope that he enjoys it.'
Gaster looked over a little more but soon moved on, he was very curious about what else might be written but he was still a very slow reader and he wasn't sure how much time he would be given to look around. He walked over to the dresser and peeked into one of the drawers, seeing several shirts and robes inside. He moved to the wardrobe next, there was a large red and white outfit within.
Closing it he glanced around the room again, he went over to examine the object that sat alone in one corner of the room. He ran his fingers over the words engraved into the large metal cup, 'number one nose-nuzzle champs '98.' After a moment he moved away from it, looking around one last time before he exited the room.
Once out in the hall Gaster walked along to the next door down. He found that it was locked and it had a sign stuck to it, 'room under renovations.' He frowned slightly at the words before he continued down the hall to the last door.
It only took a glance for him to realize what this room had been for. Gaster moved into the room a bit more slowly as he looked around, there were two child sized beds against the far walls and each had a box with a neatly tied bow sitting on it. He glanced at the shelf which had many toys and other objects lined along it and there was a framed picture sitting on top of it. Gaster picked it up to look at it more closely.
The king had such a warm and happy smile in the picture. Next to him was another monster that look quite similar but was a little shorter and her features were a little softer, she looked equally as happy as he did. In front of them were two children, one was obviously there son. The other was a human. Gaster had never seen what a human looked like before but he could see the obvious shape and proportions that he shared with it. The human and monster child clung to each other with obvious fondness as they smiled in the picture.
Gaster gently set the picture down as he glanced over to the wardrobe, he slowly slid the drawer at the bottom open to look inside. He lifted out one of the many striped shirts that sat inside, holding it in front of himself. It would have been too small for him to fit into. He folded the shirt as neatly as he could before placing it back in the drawer.
He glanced around for a moment, eye-lights lingering on the wrapped boxes before he stepped over to a toy chest at the foot of one of the beds. He knelt down to carefully lift the lid and look inside. Gaster stared at the thick layer of dust that coated the toys for a few long moments before he registered what it was. He sucked in a sharp breath, pulling his hand back quickly before he ever so carefully lowered the lid again.
Gaster rocked back on his heels as he looked back over the room from where he sat, glancing at the picture again. The two children in it looked so small compared to the large monsters behind them. How young had the king's children been when they died? He felt a pang in his chest for the king, he couldn't even begin to imagine the pain the king must have felt at losing them.
Gaster left the room but he remained in the hall for a little while before he returned to the room the others were in. He leaned against the frame of the doorway for a short time and just watched the king and the captain talk as the others mostly listened. They were playing some game with a deck of cards as they talked. After a while the king spotted him and motioned for him to come over, when the king smiled at him he couldn't help but smile in return.
"Are you done looking around young one?"
Gaster gave him a nod.
"Would you like to play some card games with everyone?"
Gaster's smile widened a little as he gave another nod, he was very good at bluffing and not letting it show when he got a good hand of cards.
It was much more fun to play with a larger group of people rather than just with the king or Cadis alone. Cadis would often have to lean over to get a good look at the cards but he was a tricky player, the king was a terrible bluff when prodded but somehow if he was left alone he would often sneak in for victory. The captain was a ruthless and fast player while Sidd sat back and was impossible to read. They went through many rounds of several different games before they broke off.
After a while Gaster found himself sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace with the king. His thoughts drifted around idly as he watched the magical fire dance.
"Is something wrong young one?"
Gaster blinked at the king's words, he hadn't realized that he had been frowning as he thought. 'No,' after a few moments he signed again. 'Cadis showed me how to resonate souls.'
The king's concerned features turned into a gentle smile. "That was kind of him, I'm glad that you get along so well with him." After a moment the king set down the book he had been reading to Gaster. "Would you like to try with me?"
Gaster gave the king a smile as he nodded, when the king held out his hand Gaster took it.
"You may lead young one."
Gaster glanced up at the king and after a moment he pulled on his magic, he carefully guided it through his hand as Cadis had shown him. Very slowly and very carefully he settled it around the king's soul.
The king gave him a reassuring smile, "don't worry young one, you cannot hurt someone by resonating."
As the king's soul glowed his followed quickly after, it was far less jarring this time as the king's magic made his soul glow in response. Gaster tilted his head slightly as he looked down at his own glowing soul to see that it acted the same as it had before, shifting and wavering slightly in strength and occasionally spiking for a moment before settling some again. He looked back up at the king's soul again and he couldn't help but stare at it, the king was so strong.
"It is easier the second time you resonate with the same person."
Gaster looked up at the king's face in confusion, 'but we haven't.'
"We did on the first day that we met, it only happened briefly and you were very distressed at the time." The king gave his hand a squeeze, "I did not think that you remembered it because you never asked about it."
Gaster shook his head as he looked down, 'I didn't remember.'
The king gave a gentle nod, he glanced up at the clock that sat above the fireplace and gave a soft sigh. "It is time to go back now young one."
Gaster tensed at that, was it already? He tried to fight down the instinct that was already trying to think of a way to escape going back. He took his hand back and let the magic go as he glanced back up at the king. 'Can I ask you something first?'
The king gave him a nod, "of course young one."
Gaster glanced down at his hands a moment, fidgeting with them as he took in a few deep breaths to brace himself. His chest tightened with the anticipation of the answer. 'Are we family?'
For a few agonizingly long moments of silence Gaster continued to stare down at his hands until he summoned the courage to look up at the king's face. The king had tears in his eyes but he was smiling. He spoke ever so softly, "if you would like that young one."
Gaster felt his own tears slide down his face. He nodded vigorously, his hands were shaking too much to sign properly. He moved forward to embrace the king, crawling into his lap and pressing up against his chest as the king held him tightly.
They were family. Gaster really did love the king, he was the most important thing in his life. Gaster couldn't recall exactly when that had happened but it just felt like it was impossible that the king had ever been anything less to him.
Gaster closed his eye-sockets and listened as the king hummed tenderly and he gently ran a hand up and down Gaster's back. They sat like that for a while and Gaster wished they could just stay like this forever.
"We must go back now young one."
Gaster still couldn't keep himself from tensing at that. He would do what the king asked of him. He gave a small nod against the king's chest, he knew he had to go back but he didn't know if he could make his feet carry him there. He signed without looking up, 'carry me?'
"Of course my child."