The breakfast occurred much later than normal. Everyone woke up late, and even after that had no energy to get out of bed, except for Chara. Cameron even got scared the first time he woke up to find the door open, he thought that Laura got into the room somehow, only to find out Chara's bed empty and realizing he was merely paranoid.
Throughout the breakfast, everybody was silent. Alex, Cameron and Mike had their heads lowered, and they created a heavy atmosphere around all of the present people. Alex appeared to have no energy whatsoever, and his eyes were barely slit open. Mike and Cameron sometimes exchanged looks, and from time to time looked at Laura, who was sitting on the couch with a cup of berry tea.
-Children, as you see, we are now housing another human, and I'd like you to gather up in the living room after breakfast for proper introduction!-
Toriel exclaimed, sounding hyped but almost awkward. Cameron, Alex, and Mike looked up at her, then the "another human" on the couch.
-Could we... Well, you know, not?-
Cameron asked, but after receiving a restraining gaze from Toriel, quickly added:
-...Right now?-
With a corner of his eye, he could see Mike getting ready to build a protecting speech in case things heated up too much.
-Well, why not now? We don't want to waste time.-
She said, almost offended. Cameron was biting his lips in thought of a proper response, but before he could get killed by Toriel's glare, Mike became his savior:
-Because it's better to meet one or two people at once! Having so many un... khm, BARELY familiar people around you at once can be... unnerving.-
He paused.
-...To some people... Sometimes.-
He added quietly. Toriel's expression softened and Cameron breathed out in relief.
-Oh, I didn't think about that. Sorry for hurrying, I agree that Laura has to adjust gradually to us...-
-Thanks, you saved me.-
Cameron whispered to Mike.
-It just makes sense to me.-
Mike murmured in response.
After the breakfast was over, Asriel hurried to be the first to talk with Laura, while Cameron, Mike and Alex tried to sneak away from the house, just to be pinned to the door by Chara.
-Well, what's going on with the three of you?-
She crossed her arms.
-What do you mean?-
Cameron couldn't hold back a dumbass smile, which gave away that something was, in fact, going on.
-You are acting strange today.-
-Chara, I'm running on lack of years of sleep, how do you expect me to act normal?-
Alex questioned with a nervous tone.
-Okay well, that's acceptable. But you, Cameron, still owe an explanation!-
-Only me? You involved Mike as well!-
-He plays along with everything you come up with, if it's within his understanding of rationality, so I think your answer will explain both of you.-
Chara petted Mike's hair while explaining, and he rounded his eyes, trying to signal Cameron to spill the truth before he does.
-Okay, okay.-
Cameron exhaled sharply before spitting out everything:
-So Laura seems a little too... Strange to me, and I think I already told you that she broke some bones in Mike's body, and during the night I saw her... Well...-
Considering how weird Laura sitting on top of Alex looked, Cameron decided to change his phrasing:
-I think she did something to Alex.-
-Cameron, she didn't do anything! I have nightmares sometimes. And I fall asleep everywhere lately.-
-Tell it to somebody else.-
The younger brother hissed, before looking straight at Chara again to see her round eyes.
-Cameron, I understand that she acts a bit strange, and that feeling of her looking at us with her eyes covered is uneasy, but let me remind you of our first encounter.-
She raised her eyebrows and smirked.
-I didn't have a living spot on me...-
Cameron mumbled, scratching his head.
-And Alex and I had a battle to death.-
-Don't remind me.-
-All I'm saying is, we are strange to each other until we get to know each other. I mean, Ryan intimidated Mike on their first encounter and now...-
-Now he wants to cut my bangs.-
Mike brushed his hair away from his face. Ryan, hearing his name, appeared from the living room and showed Mike "scissors" with fingers, and Mike shook his head quickly.
Cameron sighed and facepalmed. He didn't know how was he supposed to explain that he felt something weird about Laura.
-I'm going to Mettaton's.-
Alex yawned, grabbing his guitar.
-Oh, you gotta be kidding! Yesterday Napstablook, today Mettaton! What are you, lifting a heavy metal band?-
Chara furrowed her eyebrows.
-We are lifting heavy metal, but not a band.-
He shrugged, causing everyone to lift their eyebrows.
-Some instruments are heavy.-
He explained shortly. Cameron already knew that Alex was lying, he was the only one who could make out small lies like this one in his eyes, so he began piercing him with a doubtful look.
-If you want, you can come with me the next time. I mean, Mettaton's studio is always open for the royal family.-
-Weird that he has his doors open for a bunch of humans, but he and Napstablook barely see each other. Why doesn't he get a free passage for them?-
Chara questioned.
-Mettaton's managers like us, because we make a sensation. We are five... Sorry, six humans among tens of thousands of monsters. So if Mettaton wants to become a sensation too, he has to have great connections with us.-
-But we have connections with tens of monsters!-
-Not all of them want to be sensational. Anyways, I think I can take only Ryan with me today, if he wants to come.-
Ryan peeked into the corridor again with his eyes round and begging.
-We are going to Mettaton, not Napstablook.-
Ryan's enthusiasm disappeared immediately. He didn't like Mettaton at all, and neither did Alex, but they found ways to cooperate.
-Come on! You are going to be the first to see what we are working on! I want to show this to someone who won't tell the others.-
Ryan hissed in response, then turned around and went to the kitchen.
-I'll go alone then.-
Alex shrugged and started pulling on his shoes, but before he could finish, Ryan stormed out of the kitchen and right at him.
-What? Do you want me to stay?-
Alex asked, and Ryan shook his head. Toriel exited after him.
-He asked permission to accompany you. Now don't stay as late as you always do!-
-Of course, Toriel. Ryan will get bored quickly anyways.-
The oldest and the youngest humans disappeared behind the door. Literally less than a second later everybody in the house heard Alex swearing at Ryan for tugging his long, now braided hair.
-What can Alex be doing with Mettaton that he doesn't want us to know?-
Mike scratched his neck thoughtfully, much to Chara's amusement.
-It almost sounded like something I don't want to know. Let's go, we have a human to guide!-
LATER...
-Let me show you around.-
Chara offered Laura after Asriel was done raining questions on her. The sixth fallen stood up sharply from the couch, towering above Chara, who felt slightly intimidated by such a swift move.
-Is it a big place? This "around"?-
She asked.
-Well, the Underground isn't small, but I'm not going to show you all of it at once. I haven't actually went across the entirety of it, and neither did Asriel...-
Chara replied thoughtfully, before shrugging and smiling cheerfully:
-I can show you the capital at least! And tell you more about us, after all you are sorta stuck in our family!-
-Family? None of you are related, are you?-
-Why, Cameron and Alex are brothers by blood. But we do consider ourselves a family, cause y'know, we go through countless problems together and none of us gets killed by them!-
Very optimistic thing to say when something terrible must happen almost weekly, and if it didn't happen, it simply reminded that it will happen.
-Let's go, come on!-
Chara borrowed Laura a jacket of hers, since she was dressed in light clothes normal for Ballet dancing, but not for walking around in a place as chilly as the capital.
-Hey, do you mind me asking why are you wearing tutu and ballet shoes?-
Chara questioned, lifting her eyebrows as they walked.
-That's what the client had requested.-
"Weird answer but... Okay? What was she working as? A model? Maybe, everything's possible."
Chara thought, but only smiled awkwardly in response. She dragged her to the more crowded area.
-So what should I know about you and your so called siblings?-
Laura asked after showing zero interest in every single monster that passed by. Chara wanted to question her firm intonation, but preferred to simply answer:
-Well um... Ryan can't speak, so we will be teaching you sign language, as much as we know it... Mike has slowed comprehension, to put it simply, so don't snap at him if he doesn't understand you, Alex sometimes snaps... Oh, also, don't try to annoy Alex, he can be a bit violent when angered... And don't talk to Cameron about car crashes. Those are the basics.-
She shrugged. She wasn't ready to when Laura suddenly began to ask a question after question about each one of them. Some things Chara hesitate to tell, but when Laura showed interest in topics that weren't private among the humans, she spoke freely. In the end she even accidentally dropped that Mike had a thing for Cameron, which was followed by long laughter from Laura's side. Chara had no idea what was so funny about it, she had more of an "awwwww" reaction when she found out, but everybody viewed such things differently, right?
-Huh, poor him, then.-
Laura suddenly said.
-Eh? Why? Wait, Mike or Cameron?-
-Why, Mike of course. People die of broken heart, y'know.-
Chara's eyes resembled coins at this point.
-He is... Pretty okay with how the situation is..? It's been like that for a long time and they both are cool with that...-
She claimed, somehow sounding questioning. No, she wasn't questioning Mike's and Cameron's view of everything, she questioned Laura's. Why did she like to add the horrible sides of whatever she heard? And why was she laughing at them?
-Oh. Well, guess it isn't awaiting him then.-
-Yeah, um, fortunately it isn't...-
-By the way, this Alex guy, Cameron's brother, right?-
-Mhm?-
-He doesn't seem violent, in fact yesterday night he felt pretty soft.-
"What the F U C K is THAT supposed to mean?!"
Okay, now Chara was ready to admit. Either Laura was very odd one, either she had the wrong idea of the English vocabulary. Maybe Alex seemed soft on rare occasions, sometimes even sounded as such, but 'felt'? What was he, a couch?
-Well, he is a good gunman, considering that he isn't even sixteen years old yet, and he does snap a lot, but he is learning to control it. So yes, he may seem soft at times.-
-A gunman? So where's his gun?-
A pause followed.
-He got rid of it.-
Chara answered shortly.
-Mmmm. Hey, could you show me what is it in here?-
Laura pointed at a crowded shop. Chara felt relieved that now she will be surrounded by people, and Laura won't make her feel so uneasy.
-Sure, it's one of the best sweets stores around here. Asriel spends most of his cash in this place!-
LATER
Chara opened the door to the house sharply with Laura following close by. On the way back home, her questions began to get personal. Chara didn't hesitate to tell about her about her own past, but she tried to keep quiet about the others.
Upon entering, the first thing Chara saw after looking into the living room, was Mike trying to concentrate on reading, with Cameron using his leg as a pillow, being fast asleep with his plush cat in his arms, even though it was the middle of the day.
-Does he have trouble sleeping at nights again?-
She asked.
-Kind of.-
Mike tore his eyes away from the book and continued:
-If he doesn't have colorful nightmares, then he has flashbacks, and he's been having them daily again.-
-Mmm.-
-You look like lovebirds.-
Laura commented, causing Mike to go red like a ripe tomato. Chara tugged Laura on her sleeve sharply, signing her to shut up.
Laura turned out to be surprisingly good at playing cards, so Asriel and Chara decided to play against her. This way everything seemed normal to Chara. She wanted Cameron to join, but he only growled at her and continued to sleep, still pinning Mike to the couch, who didn't resist even though his legs must have gotten sore. Both of them crawled out of the couch only after Toriel called for the late dinner to happen, shortly after which Alex got back home, with Ryan napping on his back.
-He got bored eventually.-
Alex shrugged as Toriel picked Ryan from his back.
-So, what were you doing?-
Cameron asked.
-Working on a project. I will show you soon.-
Alex promised, dropping his guitar in the room.
-Ryan, what was he doing there?-
Cameron tried to investigate, receiving only a gaze of "are you kidding me?" as a reply.
-Alright then, keep your secrets.-
The rest of the day passed without any incidents or weirdnesses, at least until the bedtime. Chara was the first to take over the shower while the others played Durak. Since the next day she was starting to study earlier than the others for the good of personal lessons, she went to bed while the others still had a couple of hours to spend awake.
The normality didn't last long after Chara got under the blankets. A few minutes after she felt comfortable, she heard the door to the bedroom open and then shut. The ladder leading to her bunk creaked. Before she was able to get up and see who was visiting her now, she found herself being pinned down by a human's weight.
