:-"...A careless adventure..."-:
Asgore wakes slowly as the sun rises.
Once done with his daily self-care, he changes into his usual attire of royal clothes and puts on a pot for tea.
Breakfast today will consist of tea and a slice of toast, but that is OK as long as his people have food to eat.
Meandering slowly through the manor, still not entirely awake, Asgore gently taps on the door to Toriel's room. Once he hears shuffling inside he departs, having completed his task.
His feet take him to the green house attached to the side of the building, where the hard-to-kill plants are growing. Marceline hasn't entrusted him to look after the specimens in the conservatory yet, but he hopes to change that some day.
Entering the room, he continues his daily routine of taking care of the plants. He has a brief flashback of a strange golden flower that moved on its own a few days ago, but he brushes it aside as a strange dream.
Toriel enters slowly, carefully, and quietly.
Everything Asgore told her yesterday has put him in a somewhat new light. He is still a fool, and a coward, of course, but… perhaps not quite as bad as she has thought.
She is upset that he didn't tell anyone the truth, but instead let them all believe lies… what good would come from letting everyone think that he killed the children?
Was he trying to prove that he wasn't weak? That he would do whatever it took to ensure his people's freedom? That he would not waver?
Or perhaps it is because, despite having grown into adults, to him they were still like children?
Whatever it is, she doesn't understand it. If he had just been honest and said that the children all lived out their lives, pretending to be monsters, before eventually approaching him in that god-forsaken room…
Before standing there, and begging him to take their SOULS…
No. It doesn't change the fact that he did kill a child. Maybe he didn't violently kill them all as children, but he did kill one of them as a child. If he hadn't killed that child, she might not have left him.
They were such a sweet child too… A Green SOUL, and far too kind for this world.
She still remembers that day. Walking into the barrier chamber and witnessing the child begging him to change his mind, and he couldn't even look at them… how they, somehow, grew more familiar as time passed. Perhaps it was because she slowly started to recognize that they too were someone's child, just like Chara and Asriel are hers.
Toriel shakes her head gently, as a physical means of shaking away her emotions and keeping her mind clear, then clears her throat to get Asgore's attention.
Taken by surprise, Asgore flinches before replying "Oh, howdy, I didn't notice you there… My apologies. I will be done in just a few minutes, then we can leave to the village and continue working."
Not surprised that he is going to stay and finish caring for the plants, Toriel opts to wait there and watch him work.
:-:
Alphys is working on the Antenna for the Sanctum. She is using the same plans as the one she made for the village, but has taken some liberty in increasing the power and size of the array…
'Hopefully Mettaton will still be able to carry it… I might have to send it over with the Aircraft.'
As she finishes her thought, she realizes that she is behind on improving Mettaton's chassis… Hopefully he isn't upset with her.
Alphys calls Mettaton.
(Ring ring ring. Ring ring ring. Ring ring ring.)
"(Hello darling, you've reached Mettaton's fabulous voice mail! Please leave a message after the-)"
"(BEEP.)"
"Mettaton…? I uh… It's Alphys. Again. I wanted to ask if you could come over to the manor? I need to go over your current specs so I can make improvements. G-get back to me… whenever. The manor is the biggest building in the village, you can't miss it. It is big, and black, and… scary… and full of traps… A-any way… I'm-… J-just give me a call and we can set up a time."
Alphys hesitantly ends the call, hoping that Mettaton will pick up at the last minute.
He doesn't.
Sighing, Alphys thinks back to the last time she called Mettaton… that time it went to voicemail too.
'Well, this is entirely about upgrades, so no doubt he will call me back. I should keep working on the Antenna…'
Her biggest obstacle right now is keeping the antenna powered. Sure, the humans could use a few cranks or a wind/water wheel to power it… but that is just one more thing to worry about in a world where every minute counts. She would connect it to the CORE, but the Sanctum is too far away for a dimensional link…
Alphys decides that a wood or coal burning generator might be best. Wood is needed anyhow, so burning the scraps and unwanted parts for power wouldn't be too bad.
'Hmm… but what if they already have a means of generating power? I suppose then the questions are "does it work" and "do they know how to use it?" Despite the fact that a relatively short amount of time has passed on the surface… it seems that no one remembers some fairly basic things… knowledge that should still be around… basic things… that couldn't have possibly… been forgotten so soon…'
Alphys looks up from her worktable in realization.
'If the monsters under the barrier were affected by time acceleration… what is to say the humans weren't affected by some sort of time distortion as well? The barrier wasn't properly formed when it was first set up. Maybe… more time has passed than they realize? No… that wouldn't explain the lack of knowledge…'
Alphys sighs and looks back down at her table, she can think about all of that later. Right now she has an antenna to make, and a power source to design.
:-:
Frisk wakes up before their alarm goes off… but realizes that their alarm wont go off because their Cell wont turn on. 'It must've gotten zapped with the SOCDev… Well, it looks to be about… 9? And unless we slept for a week, it should be… April 2nd.'
Noticing a strange feeling in the air, and that all the adults are asleep, Frisk wanders out of the building to see what's causing it.
There isn't anything there, so they go back inside and try to wake their mother.
Marceline doesn't wake up, she seems to be sleeping heavier than normal.
Frisk walks over to Deborah and tries to wake her, but she's sleeping as heavily as she normally does; which is to say she's sleeping like a rock at the bottom of the ocean.
The injured guard is also sleeping heavily, as is Bernard, but Frisk isn't surprised with that -especially considering how tired Bernard was last night.
It would seem Frisk is alone, in a sense.
While everyone is sleeping, Frisk takes it as an opportunity to look at the necklace and admire the patterns on it.
As they hold on to it, they get the feeling that they can understand some of the runes on it…
The runes in the center seem to shift and spell out "Absorb," but, as soon as Frisk notices, it's back to normal in an instant.
In a whisper, they curiously ask aloud, "Absorb? What does-…"
Moments after speaking, they feel the strange lingering feeling in the room vanish. The necklace faintly glows for a moment, and then they feel a rush of magic.
Marceline and Deborah stir, and Frisk quickly hides the necklace… No time to be curious about it right now.
At first they're all calm, but, when both of them realize they were asleep, they panic and check on the supplies outside.
Fortunately, the moment of panic is brief and they calm down. Everything is OK.
Bernard and the injured guard remain asleep, probably for the best.
Frisk decides to use some of their new found magic to heal Bernard a bit. After all that heavy lifting and walking, his feet are going to hurt a lot, and -though he may not complain about it- Frisk can tell that his joints are starting to give him problems; the way he walks sometimes gives it away.
They make sure not to use all their magic this time, not being entirely sure how the pendant gave them magic in the first place. The pieces are all there, but they just aren't clicking together.
Deborah speaks up suddenly, "I'm going to go check on Anthony and Kevin, make sure they *cough* haven't eaten the horses yet *cough*… In all seriousness though, if we fell asleep, they probably did too."
Marceline simply nods.
Frisk decides to start drawing on the floor again, this time they are drawing a village that is being burned down by corn cobs that have goofy eyes.
Taking care not to disturb him, Marceline examines the injured guard to see if he is healed enough to walk… Her examination is inconclusive. She isn't as good of a doctor as Conrad is, but that's because she never bothered with it; she prefers to sew clothes instead of skin, far less messy.
Barnard slowly starts to wake up, and, though he doesn't feel as sore as he expects to, he moves out of his resting place stiffly.
Marceline helps him stand, but chastises him,
"You should be resting, Bernard; you stubborn old man…"
He retorts,
"I can rest when we're safe. Come on, we need to make a cart. Hopefully it doesn't take all day."
Hesitating at first, Marceline follows him outside while telling Frisk to stay inside.
Frisk, of course, listens to their mother and continues drawing in the dirt.
Once their mother is gone, Frisk decides to try getting behind the locked door… but realizes that if this building were for guards then there should be another entrance somewhere that might be easier to get through.
Frisk turns and looks at the room behind the large glass window.
'Maybe… that room is connected with the door? Glass is pretty weak though… so that wouldn't make sense. I guess… it's worth a try?'
Walking over to the large window makes Frisk realize how thick it is. It will probably be hard to break, but not as hard as the metal. After placing their hand on the glass, they feel the vibrating of weak lingering magic.
They decide that it's weak enough to break through, and begin to plan how they're going to shatter the window…
'Patience might work… I think that's called "Integrity" or "Trans-mew-tation" magic? Maybe I can use it in a way that removes integrity?'
Frisk gathers Patience within themself and tries to use it on the window… but their efforts are blocked.
Their determination rises, they refuse to let some old weak magic stop them…
Gathering more patience, Frisk releases it into the window again; this time they use command words such as "change," "alter," "break down."
They feel feedback as their magic is yet again blocked, but this time it's strong enough to knock them back.
With an annoyed huff, Frisk walks back over and tries a third time; this time, they unintentionally pour some of their determination into their magic.
When their magic makes contact with the glass, they are more than just knocked back.
:-:
Opening their eyes, with an aching head, Frisk gets up from a cold floor and sees that they are now in a dark room; it's too dark for them to make out much detail in the room.
No… not a room, a cell. They were teleported to a jail cell.
Though too late, they have come to the conclusion that the magic on the window is much stronger than they first thought.
The cell smells foul, but it is too dark for Frisk to be able to tell why.
They gather a bit of Bravery, and will a small flame into existence.
Despite being faint, the flickering light helps them see well enough that the silhouettes of the decaying bodies of the damned, the unwanted, and the dangerous are visible in the adjacent cells.
They also see that metal bars block their path to freedom.
Hopefully the dead were only left due to an emergency, because the alternative is too cruel for Frisk to bear; that alternative being that they were left to die miserable deaths, as the rest of the humans turned their attention more to the Great War.
Though intrigued by the process human flesh undergoes while decaying, Frisk is glad the room they are in is free of corpses.
Stepping closer to the bars, Frisk notices that one section looks like a door.
The bars are just close enough together that Frisk can't fit through them, and they dare not try to squeeze through lest they get stuck.
Frisk places their hands on the bars of the cell door and tries to see if they can feel any magic…
There doesn't seem to be any.
So as to not risk more magical backlash, Frisk stands at a distance and sends a small bit of magic over to see if it does anything…
The magic hits without consequence.
A large block-y section looks to be what keeps the door in place, and that is Frisk's target now.
They step closer again, place their hand on the thick metal square, and release a pulse of Justice.
The mechanism is much simpler than the door they were trying to get past initially; so much so, in fact, that Frisk feels like they can easily manipulate it with magic to open it.
It doesn't help that a lot of the metal is rusty, due to the high humidity caused by the desiccating bodies.
A clanging sound is heard echoing through the otherwise silent room, and Frisk's heart jumps a beat.
They extinguish their flame and lay low.
Feeling uneasy, and far more scared than normal, Frisk waits silently in the dark.
The sound of bare feet smacking and dragging along the tiled concrete floors echoes through the jail, slowly gaining in volume.
Eventually the sound stops in front of their cell, and so Frisk remains quiet and low; doing their best to not give their presence away with laboured breathing or shaking limbs.
The acrid, humid air in the holding area, combined with their desire to not get caught, makes Frisk not want to breathe; but they have no choice.
Though Frisk doesn't know what kind of creature it is, they don't want to risk it noticing them. All the aberrant creatures they have seen so far usually have elongated appendages, which would make their cell a death trap.
Some unintelligible grumbling starts up, followed by a dull thud, and the sound of the unknown creature departing.
Frisk remains quiet for a few more moments before they begin to move again… But more movement is heard, and this time it appears to be coming from the cell directly across from them.
The corpse they had previously saw rotting sounds to not be quite so dead after all; or if it is dead it doesn't seem to care.
Frisk's eyes eventually adjust more, but they can still only see exceptionally faint silhouettes.
It is, at least, enough for them to be able to see what appears to be an arm reaching out haphazardly and clumsily at a large lump on the floor.
The crinkling sound of some sort of paper is heard, followed by dragging and tearing paper.
Finally, the clear sounds of sloppy and frantic eating can be heard as the smell of fresh blood fills the air.
More movement can be heard from the other cells, but this movement is followed by moaning and groaning, almost as if in complaint. It would seem only one of the less-than-dead-but-not-quite-alive creatures was fed the mystery meat.
Frisk thinks back to some of the stories their mother read to them, and comes to a realization.
'These… these are zombies! Oh no… Oh no…! I'm in serious trouble… Well… I… I don't have to hold back, because… they are already dead, right?… Yea… They… they are already dead… You… you can't hurt what's already dead. Zombies don't feel pain, right?'
The displeased sounds of the other zombies continues to rise, until it is a cacophony of complaining and suffering.
Eventually, to Frisk's delight and terror, the sound of a door being forcefully swung open echoes through the jail, followed by unintelligible, but coherent, yelling.
The zombies fall silent once again, and sound as though they crawl back away from the bars of their cells.
Frisk slowly moves and sits up against the furthest wall, and tries to keep calm.
They have to find a way out without alerting the zombies, or the guard.
…But they realize that they can't avoid it. Getting out of the cell will no doubt be loud… they are going to have to get help from… him.
After their momentary lapse of bravery subsides, Frisk declares to themself, 'No. I refuse to give in!'
Moving as quietly and as carefully as they can, Frisk approaches the bars.
Once there, they gently feel for the door. They would use magic to light their way, but they are worried about alerting the dark creatures that lie in the other cells.
Their hands eventually find the large rusty square that marks the lock on the cell door.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Frisk prepares to use magic. Unfortunately magic is self illuminated, so they have to get it right the first time. If they have to try more than once, the chance they will be detected goes up significantly.
Frisk does their best to clear their mind, and calm themself down.
With their hands, damp from the condensation on the lock mechanism, Frisk grabs the lock and does their best to feel for the keyhole. They are not particularly tall, so they have to tip-toe and lean close to the bars… It isn't pleasant, but if they can get to the keyhole they wont have to use as much magic.
They manage to find it after some brief searching with their small fingers, and gathers magic within themself. Their mental image of the locking mechanism isn't very good now, thanks to the sudden interruption, so they have to refresh it.
Carefully, they do their best to release the magic in a pulse that wont bounce off the metal and into the rest of the room; unfortunately, however, some of the magic still escapes.
Their efforts are a success though, and Frisk gets a clear image of the inner workings of the mechanism.
Though sturdy, the mechanism is remarkably simple. Frisk can easily see the parts that are keeping the bolt in place.
Using blue magic to alter the gravity on the pins, Frisk manages to slowly displace the bolt.
Despite their efforts to remain quiet, there is occasional squeaking as parts are moved.
Another quiet sigh, and a slow movement to push the cell door open; but, the door is rather difficult to move…
Their efforts are followed by a significant amount of squeaking.
Frisk halts their attempts and listens for movement.
'…Nothing.'
A shaky breath escapes them, louder than intended, but unavoidable.
Their heart is practically jumping out of their chest now.
Frisk decides that pushing the door open slowly might just increase the risk of detection, since the hinges would end up squeaking more.
Gathering their strength, they lean back and push on the cell door lock as hard as they can.
A loud Screech echoes through the jail, followed by the sound of the rusty door hitting against the wall.
They were not prepared for the door to open so easily, and, as a result, they almost lost their balance as well.
Not long after their mistake, they hear shuffling and groaning in the other cells.
Panicking, unsure of what to do next, Frisk looks around to see if they can tell where the exit is… but it's too dark for them to see.
Frisk, their heart beating hard enough to run the generator at the mansion, decides the only way out… is through.
They can't hide any more… Anytime now, the creature that came in here before will come back to silence the complaining zombies.
Realizing that they left the SOCDev on the ground in the police building, Frisk takes it as an opportunity to use the magic Asgore was trying to teach them.
Kneeling, so that they don't loose their balance, Frisk looks within themself. At their SOUL. They focus on it, and on the magical power swirling within them.
'Breath in. Breath out.'
'Breath in.'
'Breath out.'
Their heart starts to slow…
'Breath in.'
'Breath out…'
'Focus on myself… My SOUL, my body, my clothes…'
The room slowly stops feeling so cramped. Frisk didn't realize they were having a problem with that. Slowly, the stench in the room fades away as Frisk's focus shifts.
'Breath in…'
A door opens in the distance.
'Breath out…'
But Frisk ignores it, along with the indecipherable shouting.
'Breath in… Bravery…'
'Breath out… Fear…'
Frisk thinks back on their lessons with Asgore, and what happened when they were in the dance-to-the-death with Mettaton and Muffet. They can't control how fast or slow magic is released unless they consciously set the magic aside. With this in mind, Frisk decides to shape the raw magical power within themself into a sort of wick; like one you'd find in a candle.
'Breath in… Calmness…'
With a clear mind, they pull their remaining magic together and wind it into a long string.
'Breath out… Anxiety…'
The sounds of angered, heavy footsteps can be heard getting closer.
'Breath in… Air…'
'Breath out… Flames…'
Frisk feels that giving their magic commands may make it work better. So, instead of just feeling the magic and trying to shape it to their will, they decide to tell the magic what they desire with simple words and an image of their intent, then let it shape itself.
Changing the raw magical power within themself to Bravery, Frisk commands,
"Fire, Cloak, Protection!"
They feel a tingling sensation around themself as the end of their "magic wick" leaves their SOUL and body, then ignites into a cloak of flames that surrounds them.
No time to admire their handy work. Frisk turns to where the sounds are coming from, and sees someone, that appears to be stitched together, quickly moving towards them. Frisk wouldn't call it "walking" or "running" exactly, since it appears to be more of a hobble or a double limp… the poor creature seems to have strange lumps all over its body as well, mostly around the joints and on its hands. Patches of its skin are clearly desiccated, while others are missing, and a few seem to be fresh… and made of some leather-like substance.
The sight is terrifying… but Frisk maintains themself.
Sprinting, as fast as they can manage, Frisk tries to evade the grasp of the undead guard; but they are not fast enough.
It catches them by an arm and pulls it harshly towards a cell, causing Frisk to lose their balance and fall.
Fortunately, their cloak of flames proves useful and burns the creature. It releases them from its cold grip and shrieks. Its mouth seems to split open to be twice as wide as it should be, and its eyes go bloodshot.
It looks to Frisk with an angry face, hunches down, and screams loudly.
Frisk is momentarily stunned by the sight and sound, but they manage to shake off the feeling and get up to run.
The sound of breaking bones and tearing flesh echo through the cell-lined corridor, but Frisk dares not look back.
Relief fills Frisks mind as they start to see the door out, and the sounds have died down; but it is shattered as soon as they hear faster footsteps behind them.
Taking a brief glance back, against their better judgement, Frisk sees that the patchwork zombie has… gotten longer? The lumps all over its body are gone, replaced by segments of raw flesh and bone, and it has taken to run on all fours; no longer are its movements hampered and clumsy… it is gaining on them.
Frisk continues running.
They make it to the door just before it reaches them. On the other side they try to shut the heavy door quickly, but the foul creature manages to stick its long bony fingers out and stop it.
Frisk continues to try slamming the door shut, to no avail. They push against the door and look around briefly.
To their right is a hallway with a turn at the end, but it's dark. To the left there is light. Frisk starts to run down the left hallway, but the creature forces the door open.
Knocked back, Frisk is pinned to the floor by a large bony hand. It appears the flames do not bother it any more.
The creature looms over them, its mouth disturbingly agape as though it were eager to devour them, and its mismatched teeth appearing especially sharp. The eyes, now more visible with additional light, are clearly from two different kinds of creatures. The patchwork of skin seems to include skin from all sorts of animals, including fresh horse skin.
Frisk fights against the monster to no avail… They lose their Bravery, and their fire cloak slowly goes out.
Momentarily, Frisk contemplates the fact that if they die it will just send them back to their last SAVE… but it would also probably be painful.
The creature lurches forward, with their mouth open wide, to bite into Frisk.
Fearful of their impending demise, despite the fact that they will just come back to life later, Frisk yells, "CUSTOS! !"
Not the right name, but it's the first thing that came to their panicked mind.
Fortunately, CU-270 isn't the "demon who comes when you call its name," and Frisk's intent was clear enough; it helps that they used it as his name before.
The world stops.
Darkness encompasses their view, and CU-270 appears.
Frisk never thought they'd be so happy to see him.
"Quite the predicament you've gotten yourself into. Did you just want a moment's break, or…"
"Do you want me to get you out of here?"
:-:
Frisk nods fervently, nearly crying, and says,
"Yes, please… I… I'll help you! I promise… Just get me out of here… please…"
"Oh, Frisk… Thank you, but I know you don't mean that. You don't really want to help me."
"I'm not evil, Frisk. I will help you, free of charge."
:-:
Surprised and happy, but still on edge and concerned, Frisk asks,
"Why? What made you change your mind? Don't you want something?"
"Well, the only reason I didn't notice you were stuck here is because I've been speaking with…"
"… a mutual friend."
"They've helped me realize my errors in trying to get your help."
:-:
Before Frisk can say anything else, the world turns into a blur of motion.
They are back, standing in the police building, in front of the window that got them in the mess in the first place.
The world starts moving again.
Frisk takes a step back, worried about touching the window on accident and being sent back.
The window, however, begins to crack as a strange feeling pulses from it.
Their shadow darkens and extends up to their view.
"There. I stopped that abomination from eating you, removed the magic that put you there…"
"I hope you find it in your heart to help me now, but I understand if you need more time."
:-:
Confused, and curious, Frisk asks, "What do you even want to do? You said something about some ritual, and a 'True Resurrection Spell…' What are you trying to do? Who are you trying to bring back?"
"Well, that is the question now; isn't it?"
"I think it would be more fun for me if I didn't tell you, but I assure you that you would approve."
:-:
Not convinced, Frisk decides that they should still hold off on helping him. He could have set that all up, after all. Who's to say he didn't make all of that happen, or that he is really keeping his word to not mess with things?
CU-270 sees their hesitance and appears to bow.
"I see, well say no more. I am a very patient person. Take your time… just not too much time."
:-:
CU-270 departs just as suddenly as he appeared, leaving Frisk to their own devices.
Deciding not to tempt fate by wandering into a strange room without the others, Frisk opts to draw in the dirt some more… they do their best to block out the horrible images in their mind.
After a while, Frisk can't help by cry silently; despite stubbornly trying not to.
They decide to at least make the best of their tears, and make a little fake lake in the dirt.
:-:
David opens his decrepit eyes to the familiar sight of darkness in the secret lab.
The distant hum of the backup generator for the level his is on has long since faded, leaving him in complete silence.
One of his minions try to get his attention through divination magic.
With a wave of his hand, David answers the magical call.
It isn't a minion, it's one of his cultists; rather, his last remaining cultist.
Though still technically a minion, David holds his cultists to higher standards.
'What do you have to report?'
('The patchwork zombie reported that a child somehow got into the Trag facility, then vanished; I suspect that the Red SOUL is on their way to the Sanctum… I am also having to tap into the last of my magical reserves.')
'They couldn't have done it alone, it hasn't been long enough. Find out who helped them. I expect you to report back in three days, or I will personally ensure you never attain your goals. You do still want to take over the Sanctum, correct?'
('Of course I do, it has been my dream my entire life.')
'Then do not disappoint me as the others have. As for your magic, you have my permission to make a trip to Gaia… after retrieving the child. Do not fail me.'
('I would never wish it, master.')
The magical connection is severed, and David decides to stand up from the chair he has been meditating in.
'All the pieces are coming together nicely… A few mishaps, sure, but I've been one step ahead for several millennia. That foolish man can have his Sanctum, the world is mine. It has always been mine… And when I finally… finally have the Red SOUL from this timeline… I can bring her back. I can reset it all away.'
David pulls a heart shaped locket from under his robe, and opens it.
He wants to caress the image of his long dead wife, but the photo has already corroded so much that he fears touching it would spell its doom.
'My dearest Andrea… I will save you from oblivion, no matter the cost.'
After a moment of appreciating her image, he closes the locket and tucks it away to turn his attention to the rest of the facility.
'Soon I will be able to make my escape. All I need is the Pendant, and if my research is proven correct… I will get it any day now.'
David reclaims h is spot on the well worn chair, and begins thinking again.
:-:
The materials they brought back last night are sturdy, but old. It seems nature has really taken its toll on the wood and metal in the area.
They also cannibalize parts from the wrecked carts in order to assemble a new one.
Some noises from inside the Police building worry them, but when Marceline peeks in she sees Frisk with their back to the door. They appear to be drawing in the dirt again… They also seem to be absolutely covered in dirt and filth.
Shaking her head gently at the sight of her filthy child, she thinks to herself, 'They are really going to need a bath after all of this.'
As she returns to her work, Deborah comes back from the camp outside of town.
Cheerily, she says, "well, it seems everyone fell asleep… but nothing bad happened. Kevin i s going to stay with Anthony to watch over the horses. They sent me back over here to…"
Using her fingers to make air quotes for emphasis, she continues, "'use [my] hard-ass forehead to hammer the nails into the cart.'"
The two laugh briefly, and Marceline responds, "so, they are still upset over you breaking those bricks with your forehead last year?"
Deborah puts on a proud pose and face, then says, "Yeaup!"
With a slight smile, Marceline picks up one of the hammers and holds it out for Deborah, teasingly saying, "Well, we need the wood in once piece Deb, so use this instead."
After a playful smile and wink, Deborah takes the hammer from Marceline, flourishes it dramatically, then goes over to help put the cart together.
Marceline looks inside again briefly, then goes back to work on the cart.
While holding a piece of wood, she asks Bernard, in her usual even and mysterious tone, "have you noticed the change in Frisk?"
Holding back the desire to scratch as his bead while thinking, Bernard answers, "I don't see the little tyke as often as I used to. Is something wrong?"
Gently shaking her head, Marceline replies, "I don't think anything is wrong, quite the opposite actually. Ever since they came back from their little misadventure, they have been… more open. I think it is rather nice to see them no longer brooding and quiet. To think, it took monsters to get them to open up… Perhaps they really were destined to save them?"
Bernard grunts lightly, then replies, "I see. Well then I am ashamed to say… I didn't notice."
With a sincere, but small smile, Marceline retorts, "Well, I cannot fault you for that. Frisk always had a soft spot for you. They consider you their grandfather, after all. Speaking of… I think we should talk about-"
Interrupting her, with a stern voice, Bernard says, "No. No retirement. The day I stop leading the guards, is the day they fall apart. No offence, Deborah."
With a snort, Deborah says, "Hah! Don't say that to me, you should be apologizing to Katsuro! Just wait till he finds out what you said!"
Bernard doesn't reply, he opts to continue working on the cart.
Deborah stops being quite as cheery… "Right, I… forgot about that."
Waving a hand dismissively, Bernard continues holding the plank for Deborah to hammer nails into.
Silence prevails for the rest of the day.
:-:
Dusk comes, and they have managed to make a… somewhat sturdy cart; as sturdy as spare, and salvaged, parts will get.
The injured guard wakes up a few hours before they complete it, and feels well enough to walk, so he does small chores while they work on the cart; he doesn't want to be more of a burden.
Beyond the fight with the river abomination, he doesn't remember anything. He was sure he was as good as gone, but some force saved them. He has taken to believe that he has a guardian angel.
Frisk doesn't try to correct him.
The dirt has been thoroughly drawn on by the time they complete the cart, to such an extent that Frisk cannot draw more without "erasing" something… Which isn't a problem for long, since the wounded guard ends up smearing some of it -accidentally- while walking around.
By the time anyone is around to notice, Frisk's tears have dried and the rust all over their hands, face, and shirt has mostly been replaced/covered up with dirt. They don't want anyone to notice.
After the wounded guard talk s about being saved, by what must have been an angel, Frisk remember s that they should check to see how much magic they have left…
It appears they are running low, but Frisk isn't sure how much they have exactly.
For a brief moment, they consider going back to their last SAVE… but they opt out since it would just make them have to wait all day again, and they would still have the memories of what happened.
The adults finish packing the cart by the time the sun is setting, and they put Frisk and the injured guard into the cart.
Stubbornly, they try to pull the cart to where Anthony and Kevin are.
It's rather difficult… so eventually they stop and draw sticks to see who will go get Kevin.
Deborah gets the short stick.
After half an hour, Deborah returns with Kevin, and another guard, and they all pull the cart over to Anthony to get the horses hitched onto it.
Everything goes smoothly, and before long they are on their way to the Sanctum again.
Frisk clutches the SOCDev, wishing they could talk to Chara about what happened today… or Sans, or Toriel… or Papyrus… or any of their monster friends. They don't want to worry their family… so they keep it to themself.
Frisk eventually starts to doze off, despite the very bumpy ride.
