AN: A very short update. But this one was kinda loaded and I wanted to keep it separate from the next chapter.

Also: Yep! So I started a little side comic for this story. Its called Sympathy for the Reader.

Whenever I write a chapter, I usually like to re-read it and think about how it all must look to those reading it. I always wonder if this will be the chapter where everyone puts the clues together and comes to a correct conclusion about a mystery or reveal. Its exciting for me to read your comments and hear your thought processes while reading the story.

But thinking about how readers must think and feel also tends to create weird/funny scenarios in my brain about what people are feeling. So I thought I'd start drawing some of the more hilarious (in my opinion atleast) things that I imagine readers thinking.

Just keep in mind...

Please don't be offended by anything i make the 'reader' say in these comics. The anon reader does not represent any particular one of you. Its a strawman.

These comics are basically just stuff I thought was funny and wanted to doodle. I'm really just poking fun at tropes and such. You are all awesome.

So if you're interested in reading the comic, head on over to the tumblr page.

Its SFTDT. Tumblr

Now on to comments!

Guest: oh yes. Far more than is healthy.

SparkleSwagNinja: Good catch. Keep thinking on that. I guess you'll see what happens.

The Honest Chap: Glad you enjoyed it. And don't worry, you'll find out soon enough why he plans on bringing his brother in the chapter after his one.

PantryMonster: hooray! I was worried all Sans' inner monologues would come across as tedious or boring. And you're definitely right. There are a lot of other characters who know how much pain humanity can inflict. Sans is just feeling isolated right now. (mostly because he isolates himself and believes no one else will understand. That dingus… )

Lunar Loon: oh sweetie! I hope you start feeling better soon! I'm glad that my work brings a smile to your face. It makes me happy to know that my rambling does some good for someone. Please take it easy and get well soon!

The Rude Girl: why thank you! I always worry when I post a new chapter that readers are going to go 'Ya know what ghostie? I'm tired of your shenanigans' and give up on finishing this story. I mean, I know that this is probably the slowest burn to have ever burned. So hearing that people are still into it is reassuring.

As for the more questions than answers bit…. LOL! So I literally posted my new 'sympathy for the reader' comic like less than an hour before I got your review. The anon character in the comic literally says your bit practically verbatim. That's hilarious. But you're right. I'm terrible about creating more questions than answers.

Kohoi: Ahck! They're kidnapping Daphne too? XD. that's a hilarious image. Especially since her expression would be completely flat as they threw her over their shoulders and took off. I lolled. XD

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INTERLUDE 6: Pieces (part 2)

The doctor said something. But the child didn't hear.

There was a red balloon floating just outside the window. Somewhere out there, some kid must have lost their grip on the end of the string, and watched bleary eyed as their treasure drifted away. Now that string was tangled in the branches of the big alder tree outside of clinic. A child watched it from the window as the wind bobbed it in and out of view.

"Miss Juarez?"

The red balloon grazed the point of an alder branch. A large hand fell onto the child's shoulder.

The balloon popped.

"I apologize for missing our last appointment. Something came up at the last minute." The doctor said. The child turned around to stare blankly up at him. "Come sit down and we'll get started." The child said nothing as she was led over to the shiny black leather sofa and sat herself down.

Dr. Selick was a tall gangly man in his late forties. He wore an untailored tweed jacket and a pair of spectacles. With his heavily balding head and wide mouth, the child thought he looked a bit like an ostrich. He settled into his chair across from the child.

"So. What would you like to talk about today Miss Juarez?" he asked. The child shrugged.

123.

"How are you liking your new school?" The child shrugged.

124.

Dr. Selick's smile grew wider. He bridged his fingers. "I know it can be a little scary settling into a new place. Have you made any new friends?" The child's eyes drifted back to the window where the now deflated balloon dangled dismally from a branch. She shrugged again.

125.

This was a game she started playing a little while back. No matter what the therapist asked she would answer with a non-committal shrug and a tight lipped smirk. She liked to count how many shrugs it would take for the doctor to give up and have her case transferred to a new therapist. It was a good game. She always won.

The last doctor hadn't made it past 40 before he pawned her off onto Dr. Selick. His official explanation had been that he 'thought she would benefit from a doctor with more hands on experience with violent trauma cases. But the child knew better. She'd scared him off.

"Do you like toffees miss Juarez? I've got a few here on my desk if you'd like some." Selick mused. The child glanced in his direction, regarding the doctor. This one sure was determined. Wasn't he? The child's lips formed a mocking smirk. She shrugged.

126.

He wasn't going to win anything from her. The child could last longer than he could. Sooner or later he'd crack.

"Still don't want to talk with me?" The doctor regarded her with a sad smile.

Shrug.

127.

"I think you're a lovely young lady, and I'd like to help you in any way that I can." The doctor sighed. He crossed his long bony legs. "However, there isn't much I can do for you if you don't allow it." The child said nothing. Another sigh.

"How is your journal coming?" The doctor said changing the subject. "Have you been writing out your feelings like I asked you to?"

She hadn't. The child rapped her fingers over the shiny pink surface. It was a nice journal in her opinion. It was unlined and had a unicorn leaping over a rainbow on the cover. It had spiral binding on the top just how she liked it. The child was left handed, and she hated how regular binding smushed the side of her hand when she drew. The journal was an absolute treasure. She hoped they wouldn't make her give it back when Dr. Selick finally gave up on her.

"Do you mind if I look at what you've written?" Dr. Selick asked. The child hadn't written anything. So she shrugged.

128.

Selick seemed to take her shrug as an invitation and he reached over and gingerly took the book from her lap, flipping it open.

The front page had a drawing in colored pencils of an ostrich wearing spectacles and a tweed coat. The doctor's eyes widened. A speech bubble with the words 'blah blah blah' floated above the bird's head. The title at the top of the page read 'Boring Dr. Ostrich.'

Dr. Selick stared at the page, mouth slowly coming open. Then he laughed. The child's head came up in surprise. Her nose wrinkled.

"Is this me?" Selick beamed. "This is brilliant Miss Juarez! I had no idea you did this!" The child dropped her eyes, face growing hot. She played with the hem of her shirt as the doctor flipped through page after page of doodles. His smile growing wider.

"You did all of these in one week? That's really impressive!" The doctor said squinting at another drawing. His smile twitched and slowly formed a line when he flipped to one of the last pages. The page covered in angry red and black scratches. The marks were erratic and in some places she had rubbed holes in the paper from pressing down too hard with her colored pencils. The title was a run on sentence of every profanity the child knew. Selick's gaze lingered on this page longer than the others before he closed the book. His smile returned.

"You really like drawing, don't you miss Juarez."

"Uh huh."

The word left the child's mouth before she even realized what she had done. Her face flushed and she scowled quickly correcting her slip with an evasive shrug.

One hundred and twenty…twenty…

Shoot.

She'd lost count.

Now the doctor was looking at her again. His stupid ostrich eyes twinkling. The child turned her red face away with a huff. What was he so happy about?

"Miss. Juarez…Its…it's alright. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to." Selick said. The child blinked, eyes darting to his face. He was serious. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about what happened. I'm not going to force you."

The child's heartrate sped up.

He's lying. What did he think he was doing? This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

"Just please promise me you'll keep drawing. It's not…it's not good keeping things bottled up inside. At some point you have to let it all out."

The child's fists tightened.

What do you want from me?

"If you don't want to talk about what you're feeling. Or…if you can't… It's okay to draw it instead. Trust me. It doesn't have to be pretty or make sense. You don't even have to think about what you're drawing. Just keep your pencil moving until you feel better. I promise it will help." The child felt a warm hand on her shoulder, as the beautiful pink book was slipped back into her hands. She raised her eyes to stare at the doctor.

"Can you do that for me Daphne?" he asked. The child took the journal and pressed it to her chest like a security blanket. For some reason she felt like crying. And for some reason, she didn't care that boring Dr. Ostrich was there to see it.

"Y….yeah…" Daphne whispered with a tiny shrug. The doctor smiled.

One hundred and twenty something.

Game.

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Hiding under a rock now. Bye.

#SFTD