August 4th, 2021: Qurairu
"Michael," William muttered, though an amused smile played on his features.
"Sorry, Sir, but if you take one more step toward the Rift when my back is turned, I will take extreme measures."
The albino chuckled. "Just because an unfortunate incident happened once-"
"I do not appreciate being the guard that loses the Leader in another dimension!"
William laughed. "There are so many hatchets you need to bury these days."
"At least you can look forward to going down in history," Sans grinned widely, leaning against the wall of the small building that had been constructed around the Rift, flicking the lights in his sockets up for a moment, contemplating the clear blue sky and summer heat.
"Gonna be hard to top that accomplishment, I know," he continued. "But keep working at it, I'm sure you'll manage something."
"How do I top that?"
William chuckled. "Knowing you, you'll eventually crash land yourself into something to top it."
"Thanks for your vote of confidence."
"Your top security man," Sans chuckled, directing the lights in his sockets to William. "You may not be the best reader of people, William."
"Perhaps not-"
"Hey!"
"But he's managed to prove his worth before."
"Well, he did hold his own pretty well in the battle," Sans acknowledged, turning his skull to focus on Michael. "If nothing else, he's good at getting out of his messes, huh?"
William snorted his amusement while the young Human glared at both of them. "I'm sorry, is everything set to: 'Torment Michael because he's not perfect'?"
"You did set that warehouse on fire…"
"I was being chased by an axe murderer-excuse me for being a bit jumpy!"
The albino smirked, having far too much fun riling his guard.
Dogamy looked over, shaking his head. "You make me jealous, William. I only have Doggo to torment like that, and it's never quite as entertaining."
"Entertaining!?" Michael cried.
"I think Gerson and Undyne were onto something," the canine replied with a smirk.
Suddenly, the door to the building around the Rift opened, and Vigil stepped out, still clad in full armour. He glanced around a moment before spotting the group and heading towards them.
"There you are," Sans called as he approached. "Was beginning to think you'd found another outpost on the way."
Vigil snorted, the light through his visor flaring.
"After what we have accomplished, I doubt anyone will so much as breathe their name without looking over their shoulder. Overwatch is done."
"And hopefully with any of Reaper's Harvest that was lingering on your side," William replied, raising his head fully. "A little peace and quiet certainly wouldn't go amiss here."
Vigil nodded, coming to stand before them, folding his arms in front of his chest and facing William.
"And that is the reason I wished to speak with you." He turned his head a little to regard Dogamy. "And you."
"Oh?" the older man asked, his eyes sparking as he listened. Dogamy simply gave a curt nod to ensure that Vigil could explain himself.
Vigil gestured to the building behind him.
"My people have been battling Overwatch for a thousand years. Hunting them, hiding from them. It has consumed our lives. With their defeat, it has left us at a loss.
"Some have chosen to assume normal lives, now that we no longer fear being hunted. The rest of us seek new purpose. There are no threats remaining on our side. Our Humans are weak, and few will dare to so much as speak out against Monsters now. However…"
Vigil lowered his arms to his sides. "Reaper's Harvest still exists here, even if scattered. And you must still deal with the Beasts. I have spoken to those of my brethren still seeking purpose, and they have agreed that, should you allow it, we shall change our targets."
William gave a hum. "I honestly don't see why not-even if you were to have issue in the city, I would know without asking that Frisk would welcome you in with open arms."
"Who doesn't get that reception from Frisk?" Michael asked dryly.
"We will likely not require accommodations, save perhaps a place to meet," Vigil's tail twitched slightly behind him as he spoke. "My people are used to concealing their presence. In fact, it will be more difficult to adjust to trusting your people, rather than moving on our own."
"The kingdom can likely offer much of that," Dogamy stated. "Though it can be...away from everything else. Seclusion and safety, but it's quite a walk just to get down to the city, let alone anywhere else."
William hummed. "I'm fairly lenient. So long as there's no rampaging government buildings without telling me, I don't mind how you handle things."
"Yeah, at least phone it in first," Michael joked.
Vigil nodded, then turned slightly.
"They have agreed," he called back.
A moment later twelve others exited the building… no, thirteen. The last one was a little girl, looking to be about six years old, with long, braided pigtails and clutching a teddy bear to her chest. Standing directly behind her, walking with his hands on her shoulders, was a man with the same blonde hair and piercing eyes.
Eight of them appeared Human, five men and three women. Of the other four, one was large and covered in white fur, seeming closer to an ape than a man, his massive feet somehow not leaving a mark on the ground.
Another of them was reptilian, and wore armor similar to Vigil's, though it only covered her legs and torso. The third was tall and thin, not quite as tall as the first, and he wore a pristine black suit and tie. His fingers turned to claws at the ends, and his entire head was white and blank, no features visible at all.
The final one appeared as a snake, maybe a foot thick. It had three heads, and slithered close by the child's feet.
"These are those of my people who would not change their way of life," Vigil said, watching William and Dogamy carefully.
Dogamy looked at them in curiosity, unphased by odd appearances, his gaze only briefly resting on the girl. He gave a curt nod of approval, and looked to the Leader.
William's eyes flicked over the others briefly, and then he turned with a dip of his head. "May they be satisfied then," he stated simply.
"We do not wish a conflict of interests," Vigil said quietly. "And as I said, we are unused to working with others. As this is the case… Dogamy, would you stand beside William?" The canine tilted his head, but did not argue, doing as he was instructed.
As one, the Shifters knelt before the two, their heads bowed. Even the little girl followed suit, though she didn't let go of her bear.
"We pledge our allegiance to you." They intoned as one, hissing, rumbling and soft voices all melding into a single sound. "We recognize you as Lord, and vow to remain true to you, so long as you remain true to us. Our forms will change, but our loyalty shall not.
"We shall keep your land clear of Beasts and any other threats. Call for us, and we shall come, Lord William and Commander Dogamy."
Dogamy glanced to the Humans, hiding an amused smile. Perhaps 'Lord Sans' will catch a break?
The two Humans blinked in surprise, and Michael looked like he had a comment, but let it be. The Red Eye took a moment, and drew one arm in front of him, bowing only slightly. "I shall accept your offer with open arms."
In unison, they all rose to their feet. Those that had feet.
"Then it is done," Vigil intoned. "We will require what information you have on Reaper's Harvest and the Beasts, as well as a location to use as a base of operations." He gestured to the girl, who stepped forward with her father behind her.
"This is Starwatcher, Deception's daughter. She is fully Human, and while she is capable of traveling with us most of the time, she will require a place to stay during missions too dangerous for her involvement."
"There are many in the Kingdom who like looking after children," Dogamy assured.
"And if the kingdom is not an option," William started. "The Capital Building in the center of the city should prove safe for her. If not to your satisfaction, I'm sure I can ask around."
Deception dipped his head.
"Thank you." The girl fidgeted a little, looking unhappy about something, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she hugged her teddy bear closer to herself.
William smiled gently as his gaze went back to her, but said nothing as he looked back to Vigil. "I'll be in contact with you as soon as I have all the information you need. As for Beasts, the Monsters would know how they work more so than I."
"Then I will speak to Commander Dogamy about it." Vigil replied, folding his arms before his chest again and glancing to the canine. "Once we have settled. We are used to changing locations however, so it should not take too long."
There were murmurs of agreement from the other Shifters.
"Take your time," was William's reply. "I'm a patient man."
"The kingdom appreciates your help, but we'll appreciate it more if you are prepared," the canine said with a smile. "Won't do neither of us good if we move with too much haste."
"We understand," Vigil intoned. "We will offer you only our best, you have my word."
October 8th, 2021: Earth
Napstablook smiled as they settled on a bench under a tree. "You've been doing really well, Jennifer," they praised.
The Human girl smiled happily, adjusting the strap on the backpack she wore.
"Thanks!" she let out a contented sigh. "I'm finally actually being able to do things normally again… but with an extra boost now!" She giggled, leaning against the backrest and staring up at the broad, arrow-head leaves of the tree above them.
"This whole ghost thing is a lot more fun now that I don't have to worry about phasing into a wall accidentally…"
The ghost tilted their head, but smiled. "Yeah...it can be really helpful. Especially if you have the same amount of magic I do. You can phase objects with you-possibly. Oh, I'm sorry, don't quote me on that…"
"Really?" Jennifer asked, eyes widening. She shifted in her position so she could get a better look at the ghost, listening intently.
"Yeah...I...because I've been a ghost for so long, I have more abilities than others. So I can phase objects-people-through things...but oh, I'm not sure if my magic would carry that, and it can be draining. The less magic it has, the more magic you need to put into it...I don't use it all that often…"
"That would be really cool if I could…" Jennifer dipped her head shyly. "Um… maybe we can try working towards that? I um…" she trailed off nervously.
"Oh?" Napstablook asked. "I mean...I don't mind? I just...don't know where to start? Oh...but, it would be nice to know if you can, so...oh, I'm sorry, I'm not good at this, um…"
"I just… you've been really nice to me," Jennifer whispered. "And um… I know you probably don't want to live out here anymore… now that you don't have to but… I'd like to still um… hang out with you?"
"Oh...oh, no, I liked it-it's probably the quietest months I have-except at the beginning-oh, oh no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean, um….-but I do...like your company. Especially when we're not panicking?"
Jennifer giggled.
"There was a lot of that, huh? It's been nice to just… talk with you. I usually like to go out and do more things but you're…" she searched for the word. "Um… calming."
"Oh...um…" They faded away a little. "Thank...you?" they mumbled softly in embarrassment.
Jennifer was quiet for a moment, then slung her backpack off her shoulder and sat it between her knees, starting to unzip it.
"I… I made something for you…"
"What? Oh...oh, you didn't have to, I mean-oh, oh no, I'm not saying I…" The ghost started to dissolve into more apologetic rambles.
"You saved my life…" Jennifer mumbled sheepishly. "It's not much, but…"
The ghost was still softly mumbling their protests-but was thankfully paying attention despite it. Jennifer hesitantly reached in, and then pulled out a small painting.
It was in a small, framed square, wood lining the sides. The painting was intricately detailed, Jennifer had obviously put a lot of time into it.
At the front of the painting was Napstablook. They were facing slightly away, as if looking at something in the distance. They were floating just above the edge of a barren cliff. The ghost appeared to be glowing a bit, and there was sympathy portrayed in their one visible eye.
Over the cliffside stretched an entire backdrop of tree-covered hills, each one made in painstaking detail.
The ghost stared. "Oh…" They faded away. "Ohhh," they managed, their voice still there. "Oh...wow...oh, my word...that...Jennifer…" There was a lot of flustered mumbling. "It's really nice-nice isn't enough-oh no, I'm sorry-I'm bad at this, um, er-pretty!"
"You like it?" Jennifer said nervously. "I had to do the background five times… it's still not very good…"
"It's beautiful," Napstablook managed. "I like it...actually...love it? Might be the better term, oh, but, that might be me saying too much, ohhhhh….but-you worked so hard, I can tell! The background is pretty and detailed and loved on and ohhhhhhhh…"
Jennifer seemed to relax, a bright smile creeping across her face.
"I'm glad." She proffered it to the ghost. "It's for you… you can do what you want with it… I'm just happy you liked it."
"Oh…" She felt the ghost take it with their magic, continuing to mumble softly at her.
A soft laugh escaped Jennifer, and she zipped up her backpack and put it back on.
"You're really not good at taking compliments or thanks are you?" she asked, smiling at the faint glow that she could still see, even though the ghost had vanished.
"...maybe not?" was the meek reply.
"I'm sorry," Jennifer murmured sheepishly, looking away. "I don't really understand why…"
"Oh...no good reason," the ghost mumbled. "Just...not good at it."
"I'll try not to embarrass you too much, though you are really easy to paint…"
"Ohhhh….being...a ghost...makes that easy, I guess…"
"Good thing you stayed one then," Jennifer replied. She slowly let the magic that was now a part of her wash over her, her body turning grey and ethereal. Then she hovered into the air, hugging where she knew Napstablook was.
"Oh! Oh… Ohhhhhhh…." The ghost mumbled incoherently-and somehow tried to make themselves less noticeable than they were already.
Jennifer didn't keep it up for very long, not wanting to keep embarrassing the ghost. She sighed a little as she drew away. She really was going to need to be more careful with them.
"Sorry…" she mumbled.
"Oh, oh no, it's okay," the ghost assured, despite being very horribly flustered.
Jennifer gave a quiet sigh and a smile, then settled back on the bench, turning Human again.
"...it is really pretty though," Napstablook assured. "...and now Neo can't bother me about not having any decorations in my house?"
"Where do you live?" Jennifer asked curiously, fiddling with the ties on her backpack.
"Oh...I still live in our Underground in Waterfall-it's nothing fancy though…"
Jennifer blinked in confusion.
"I thought no one lived in the Underground anymore…"
"Oh...well, on my side, we...Monsters are having a slightly harder time...integrating, due to a long series of events just prior to meeting them...it was bad timing all around, but oh no, that was a while ago, and it's confusing, and ohhh, probably boring once the politics get involved. Oh no…"
"Oh right," Jennifer breathed. "I forgot you lived on the… the other side…" She seemed to shrink a little. "I'm sorry for keeping you here for so long," she mumbled. "You must really miss your home."
"Oh, no, it's okay. Home is really small-...honestly I could probably fit my floor space in your room with some to spare...it's that small. Um...I don't mind though...it's nice, but...I get to see the sun more often here, and...Humans are more likely to be nice…"
Jennifer looked up hopefully.
"Really?"
The ghost nodded. "Seeing as Humans still have magic on our side, and have stronger souls, well...it's still a little iffy to be around them. -Not to say there aren't nice people there or anything, oh no, I just…" The ghost gave a little shrug.
The Human teen sighed in relief.
"Okay… I just don't want to be a burden on you," she mumbled. "I'm sure you've got your own life…"
The ghost laughed softly. "I just make music sometimes...other than that...I help Neo when he needs it. Pretty simple really...and...unless someone with magic has a bone to pick with me-OH, do not tell Papyrus I said that...oh no, he'd be so mad...oh no..."
"So then…" Jennifer asked carefully. "You wouldn't mind… staying?" Her voice was hesitant, not wanting to make the ghost feel like they had to, but…
"I don't really mind where I stay...seeing as I don't need to sleep and all that...give me music and I can keep myself occupied in a tiny corner somewhere…"
"It'd be nice if you stayed," Jennifer admitted, shifting uncomfortably. "I've gotten used to having you around…"
"Oh...well...I...guess that makes sense…" Napstablook mumbled sheepishly. "Being nearby constantly and all…" There was a little laugh. "Better than being sick of me," they joked.
Jennifer shook her head vigorously.
"Never," she proclaimed. "I don't see how I could! You're just… doing your own thing… and I don't have to feel alone." She looked down to the sidewalk. "I was really lonely for a long time after Mom died…" she admitted.
"Oh...oh, Jennifer, I'm sorry," they apologized. "I understand…"
"It's okay. It's just… nice to have you around. Even if you're just… there. You know? Knowing someone's watching out for me…"
"Ohhh….thanks, but...oh, you don't have to say all that-I like helping…"
Jennifer smiled.
"Thank you…"