It was only a few minutes of waiting, but it could have been a lifetime. Gaster was watching Sans, who was sitting beside him awkwardly, trying to not be in awe of the castle around him when he couldn't take it all in fast enough. And he was about to meet a king!
The Chamberlain called for them shortly after. "Doctor Gaster! Asgore will see you now."
Gaster smiled, and stood, offering a hand to Sans. [Ready?]
[Y-yes… I guess…!]
[Have you met a king before?] The doctor wondered.
[No! Of course not!]
Gaster arched a brown. [...Of course. Come on then.]
The two skeletons trotted through the large doors into the throne room.
Asgore was sitting on his throne, and Toriel was standing beside him.
"Ah! Gaster!" Asgore exclaimed, spotting him. "Couldn't keep away, could you." He added with a grin.
Gaster chuckled in response, not oblivious to how Sans was hiding behind him, clinging to his shirt. "Am I not allowed to visit?"
Toriel smiled. "Of course you are. You're a dear friend, after all."
"Although this is rather formal, Gaster. A meeting and all?"
The skeleton nodded. "Well, I did have a few things I wanted to discuss with you. With you both." He said, voice serious.
His tone made the two Boss Monsters blink. "Gaster… has something happened?"
"Well, yes, I suppose it has." And with that introduction, he turned, and tried to pry Sans off his back. [Come on, Sans, they aren't going to hurt you…]
Asgore stood. "Gaster…. Is that….. A child?"
"Yes. This is Sans." Gaster told them, as Toriel crept forwards to get a better look at the boy. "He fell down the volcano shaft last night."
Toriel crouched down beside them and smiled at Sans. "Hello, Sans."
Sans didn't let go of Gaster's shirt, but he did peek at Toriel owlishly.
Asgore started to make his way across the throne room. "He fell down the volcano shaft? Like Chara?"
"And like myself." Gaster said. "I thought that Sans might feel a little more at home with some companions his own agel… and I… want to talk to you about what I saw there."
Asgore blinked. "Saw?"
Toriel reached out and put a hand on Sans' shoulder. "Sans dear, would you like to meet my children? They'd love to meet you."
Sans looked worriedly at Gaster. The taller skeleton smiled down at him reassuringly.
[You'll like them.]
[But I… won't be able to talk to them… They speak all weird.]
"Oh, Gaster, he speaks just like you did when you arrived." Toriel said.
"Yes… I'm thinking that it's a side effect of whatever happened to us when we fell." Gaster said. "Are the other children about? Sans is still very shy, and a little worried as he hasn't learnt the more common word down here yet. He's only been here a very short time…"
Toriel smiled and straightened. "Ah, I know just the thing! We can all go together, and I'll fetch a drawing pad for the little one."
Sans puffed out his cheekbones in a pout. [I'm not… little.] He muttered.
Gaster smiled at that, but didn't remark.
Asgore was looking worried. Gaster showing up only a day after moving out was indeed a joy to him… it meant that the skeleton wasn't trying to cut all his ties with them. But to appear with this boy…. Asgore would have loved to think that Gaster had a partner and they had a child together, however, he was not naive enough to think all that could have happened in one day.
If Sans entered the underground by falling through the crater… that had… other implications.
"Let us go to the study." Asgore said. "I will get the other children, and we can have tea."