Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

It had been about an hour since Toriel had told them to stay put and about fifty minutes since Frisk decided to continue exploring the unkempt tunnels. Chara continued alongside, watching and listening as they soldiered on through room puzzles and dark rooms. This human seemed to like talking- muttering possible solutions before completing a puzzle, commenting on various things they saw, even saying goodbye to every monster they convinced to leave them alone. But four words made Chara a little more wary, a little more curious, and a little more afraid for Toriel.

Chara gasped when they saw the ghost laying on the ground and continually saying the letter "z" out loud. Normal monsters were one thing, but one resembling a silent, invisible embodiment of a formerly living creature was more than they could handle. They weren't very adept at dramatic irony.

Frisk walked up to the ghost and stopped a foot away, clearing their throat. But the ghost continued its feigned sleep. Frisk softly nudged the supposedly sleeping specter with their shoe, almost losing balance as the area became dark. These times of darkness were a little less scary to Chara, but they continued to grasp the other child's clothes with both hands.

"Sorry to wake you up," said Frisk, their voice becoming more sure with every monster interaction, "but please don't take any more beauty rests. You're already more beautiful than everyone else. Give the rest of us a chance, huh?"

The ghost quivered what was likely their lower lip as tears floated from their eyes. The tears dashed towards Frisk as the ghost sobbed about how everyone likes to tease poor ol' Napstablook.

"Sorry," Frisk exclaimed while dodging each tear. "Sorry, Napstablook was it? I didn't mean to sound fake. But I don't think anything can make you look better than a ten out of ten. Including beauty sleep!" Chara was impressed at how fast the two of them were able to move, despite their trembling hands still clinging on for dear life.

"A ten out of ten," Napstablook asked, sniffling.

"Definitely! How can you top that?"

"By turning it up to eleven," the ghost replied. They began to cry again, but the tears fell up rather than out. Piece by piece, a shape began to take form from the tears until a top hat had formed onto Napstablook's head. "What do you think? I call is 'Dapperblook.'"

"You are amazing, my astral amigo," Frisk exclaimed. "That is by all definitions a perfect eleven right there!"

I kinda like it, Chara muttered, venturing a peek from behind their excited human shield.

The darkness faded as Napstablook's mood seemed to lighten up.

"I usually come down here to the ruins to be alone," they explained. "But today, I met someone nice." They looked at Chara and added, "Make sure to be careful so you don't worry Ms. Toriel," before fading away.

"Oh, is that who that was," Frisk wondered aloud. "That makes sense."

Chara's grip on the shirt increased. No one ever saw them. No one ever heard them, or no one did anything if they could hear them. They could do things like block a weapon or help a fight end permanently, but no comments were intentionally made to them. No glance in their direction was anything more than an accident. Then why did this ghost stare directly into their eyes and tell them to be careful for Toriel's sake?

"My child," she cried out. Chara covered their mouth to stop a gasp. They had been so wrapped up in their thoughts that they weren't paying attention. The two humans were now standing in that same open area in front of the royal family's vacation home with a worried Toriel running towards them, cell phone in her hand. Bits of its light purple color were chipped near the edges, and the string of crystals connected to the top was almost as small as its short antenna. She slowed to a walk when Frisk held up one arm across their chest and made their other hand into a fist. Chara knew their stance. Chara knew those four words Frisk used earlier. "I bet none of the other Fallen Children noticed that before." "I wonder if any of the other Fallen Children tried talking to that monster." "I hope this monster didn't lose their family to any of the other Fallen Children." The other Fallen Children.

The tactic was strange, but the goal was clear: the Caretakers had sent another Fallen Child to kill the king of the monsters.