**Goldie, Garnet, Onyx LG!Alphys and LustGold belong to S-E-Sagas**
Chapter 22 – ScarsIt was a lovely dinner. Spaghetti was of course still on the menu. It was always a quick fix for Jewel back in the day too and it was still one of her favorite foods, much to Papyrus' delight. When Undyne returned later with some clothes for the wayward hopper, Jewel was grateful, but… it really didn't appeal much to her. At least the pajamas were… decent… she felt weird about it though. Everything in this world still had a sexy theme to it, nothing really… casual. She felt way too exposed and she wound up sleeping in her damaged clothes.
Come morning, Jewel would be the first to awaken, unable to fully rest in such a strange place. She went into the kitchen and started making breakfast for the kind gentlemen who allowed her to stay. Though, of course, Papyrus was the first to awaken. He threw a bit of a fit, as per usual. She was the guest, it wasn't necessary. But Jewel insisted. So while she finished, Papyrus went to awaken his brother. As he came down, Sans silently questioned why Jewel hadn't changed when Undyne had brought her clothes, not even into the nightwear. Then again… she was slightly taller and it might not have fit. Especially with how low-cut it was. He could understand not wanting to wear it around some strange men. Not that he or his brother were really interested.
"So then Red goes down and starts coughing and sputtering, going , "Damn it, ya' got it up my nose-hole!" It was too much for Ink and Sans, they just started rolling on the ground laughing!"
Sans and Papyrus both chuckled as she reminisced about her friends, Papyrus of course asking about them.
"So they all have nicknames," Papyrus started. "Are you going to use ours? I mean, Papyrus is my name of course, but you call everyone by their nickname except for the Sans from the main timeline."
"Well… I mean, I could, if you want. I just… thought you wouldn't want me to," she admitted. "I mean, the whole point of a stage name is to keep your life separate. You're not working and it's not like there are any other versions here right now."
"Appreciate the thought, but it's fine. How many Sanses and Papyrus do you know?" Goldie chuckled. "You have to try and keep it straight in your head somehow."
"Well, I suppose," she smiled a little. "If you're sure."
"We're sure. Don't worry about it. Though, come to think of it, Alphys doesn't have another name."
"Well, to be fair, I haven't met any other Alphys or Undyne," Jewel smiled. "Remember, Undyne would probably start a fight in any other world. Except Blue's, that would be Alphys," she chuckled.
"Why?" Sans rose a brow.
"Because Blue's world is called UnderSwap, since the roles are all swapped around. Classic Sans and Papyrus basically switch, and you get Stretch and Blue instead. Stretch is the lazy powerhouse with the judging ability while Blue's the pure boy who believes in everyone. The same goes through the rest of them. See, in Classic's timeline, Toriel hides in the ruins waiting for humans to come down, and Asgore runs the Underground, and Undyne is Captain of the Royal Guard and Alphys is the royal scientist. In Underswap, Toriel rules, Asgore's in the ruins, Alphys is the captain and Undyne's the royal scientist."
Goldie couldn't stop his snickering. "Oh god, you have to get her to meet her "nerd" counterpart, I just have to see that!"
"Anime obsessed too," she chuckled.
"So, if you're friends with Blue, why aren't you friends with Classic Papyrus?" Garnet asked.
"I just haven't met him yet. The only real time I've spent in the main timeline has been while injured. Papyrus helped take care of me and all, from what I was told, but he was out patrolling and working on his puzzles. I've… kind of been on shaky ground with Classic after he started trying to force his views of Error on me."
"Which one is Error?" Goldie asked.
"He and Ink are Sanses that don't fit into a world. Neither have one. Like me, they exist outside of it all. Error's the one who goes and destroys AUs while Ink helps inspire and bring them to life."
"And why are you friends with a murder?" Goldie rose a brow.
"Dude, I know, it's like befriending the grim reaper," she chuckled a little. "He's sweet once you can get him to open up. He's guarded, never really had a friend before and it's all still new to him. But he was willing to talk, so he deserved a chance."
"I suppose that's fair," Goldie relented.
"Then there's Red," Jewel pointed out. "I love how Classic likes him, despite his entire world literally being a "kill or be killed" version of Classic's. Just kind of… hypocritical, ya know? I mean… I see the difference, but still."
"Well, we don't, what is it?" Garnet asked.
Jewel sighed. "Error… destroys the worlds because they remind him of how much he was abandoned. He calls them glitches, abominations that shouldn't exist. And despite what others think, he does include himself in that. Red… his whole world, he was raised to believe that if you don't kill first, you'll be killed. So despite the lack of population, the second someone steps out of line, dusted. Edgy is particularly nasty, he's trying to get on the Royal Guard, so he's extremely tough on everyone, especially Red. He beats on him and berates him. Red still only has the one hp thing, and last time I was there, Edgy nearly smashed his skull in and expected him to stay conscious… had to put Edgy in his place after that," she muttered.
"Wait… what did you do?" Goldie asked, paling a little.
"I didn't kill him if that's what you're thinking. He wanted a show of strength, so I gave him one. Freaked Red out something fierce, and I feel bad, but… my world was like that too. At least the part where I grew up. It didn't take me long and I didn't do anything I couldn't fix up. I only hit him because he demanded I stopped dodging his attacks "like a coward"," she shrugged.
Garnet and Goldie looked to one another with a sigh. "You don't make that a habit, do you?" Garnet asked.
"Nah," she chuckled. "I only fight when necessary, but I pack a mean punch," she smiled at them.
"You know you didn't have to tell us any of this, right?" Goldie pointed out.
"Yeah… but it's only fair you know who you're letting in. Lies of omission are still technically lies."
"That is true," Garnet smiled, but then he looked at the clock. "Oh dear, it's getting close."
"Go on," Jewel smiled. "I'll clean up."
"Nonsense!" Garnet protested. "You're the guest, and you already cooked us a wonderful breakfast! There's still time to clean before we have to head to work," he said as he rose.
"Speaking of, are you going to be okay here alone?" Goldie asked.
"Eh, I'm used to doing nothing," Jewel chuckled softly. "Though… I rather be productive… um… can I ask for a favor then?"
"Depends," Goldie smiled.
"Well… I know Classic Papyrus and Edgy both make and modify their own clothes and have a sewing room… do you guys have… anything like that?"
Goldie rose a brow, thinking about it. "Well, not a room, but Garnet does have something. Why, you wanna make yourself clothes?"
"Well, not me," she smiled softly. "Error got hurt pretty bad and his outfit got ripped up. He's stubborn and refuses to let anyone get him one, but I… thought I'd try and make him something he'd like. He's not a shopping guy, ya know?"
"I suppose. Though you might want to try and change your clothes too. I mean, Onyx left you a nice set."
"Yeah, I… don't know about those," she said with a slight blush.
"Why? You'd rock it, you got the curves."
"It's… pretty revealing."
"Not really. It covers the important parts. Go on, try it out! You may like it! Besides, you're in burned and blood-stained clothes, you can't really save those."
Jewel let out a sigh, her face still tinged red as she got up. Fine, she'd try it. Her clothes were starting to bother her… maybe she should try and call Ink after all…
When she went to change, Goldie got up and waked over to his brother. "Yo, bro. Jewel wants to know if she can borrow your sewing stuff. She wants to make her friend some clothes."
"Well, I don't mind, but I don't really have the fabric for a full outfit."
"Eh, I'll have Alphys come by, she can take her shopping for what she wants for it. She can take a few minutes to help out."
Goldie had already managed to call Alphys and talk to her about taking Jewel out for fabric. After all, she was being left alone… and no doubt guards were going to be around soon too, she might as well do something to keep her mind occupied. They'd probably try and find her a room of her own too. That way she didn't have to try and sleep on that small couch. But as it neared the time for them to get going, Goldie realized Jewel still hadn't come out of the bathroom. It had been a while…
"Jewel?" he knocked. "You okay in there?"
"Yeah," she called back out, though her voice was a little on the uncertain side.
"Well, come on. We gotta get going, show us how to work hips like that," he teased a little through the door. When silence was the only thing he got from behind the door, he started to get a little worried. "Jewel?" he called again. "Do they not fit? I can have Garnet grab some of his, see if they work, but he's pretty narrow, I don't think his would fit your curves." When she still didn't answer, "Jewel, either you answer me, or I'm coming in there. You know I can teleport."
He heard the door start to unlatch and he pulled back, seeing the door open just slightly.
"I don't like it…"
"Come on, Jewel, it can't be that bad," he smiled reassuringly, though he could barely see her.
Goldie stepped back as he saw the door open more. It was definitely one of Onyx's outfits. She was a tad taller than her, so the pants did hang a little lower on her than on the blue-skinned beauty, but it was one of her halter crop tops. Jewel still held her arms over her chest like she was vulnerable, though Goldie honestly missed it at first.
"See? Look at you!" he grinned, having only seen a small glance. But when he opened his eyes, he really took her in.
She looked fine in the clothes… but she held herself like she was scared, ashamed… tears were lining her eyes and her face was red. Underneath her arms, he could see a variety of scars adoring her torso, some fresher than others. There was an old circle to the left, and under her arm were the freshest marks he had yet to see… her arms adorned a variety of gash scars, some self-inflicted on the lower arms, but a lot of gashes on her upper arms that suggested she went hand-to-hand in a knife fight several times in her life. And this shirt was backless… he wondered what she wasn't showing.
"Yeah… look at me," she muttered.
"Jewel… I…"
"Brother, what's keeping…" Garnet called, walking around the corner, coming onto the scene. "Jewel, what's wrong?" He approached, trying to put a hand on her arm but she flinched back and away from him.
"Jewel… I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Goldie tried. "I just thought… you can put your own clothes back on if you want."
"No, you're right… I can't wear those… blood, burnt… but I can't… stand this… I can't do clothes like this, I'm ugly, I can't-!"
"Jewel, you are not ugly!" Goldie quickly reassured.
"Dude, are you blind?! Look at me!" she barked back, her face getting redder.
"Jewel, calm down," Garnet said softly, stepping in. "Please, go sit down on the couch, I'll go see if I have something you're more comfortable with," he tried, before heading back to his room.
Jewel walked around Goldie and went to sit on the couch. Using the blanket she had been given the night before, she wrapped herself up, hiding her scars… hiding everything. Goldie turned and watched her, his soul sinking a bit in his chest. He honestly just thought she was uncomfortable borrowing Onyx's clothes… that it might just not be what she was used to, but he thought she really did look good in it… but the scars did take him by surprise. There was no way to know with what she wore… His mind started to race about what exactly triggered this. The scars? Did she have more body issues than just that? He didn't see how, but… he was a skeleton, a monster, and humans, well… he heard they were different, but how different he wasn't sure.
Garnet eventually came out with a jacket and shirt. Unfortunately, neither worked. They looked like they might fit, but her shoulders were actually broader than his and her chest just made it not work... Garnet felt horrible about it, but there was nothing they could do.
Well, there was one thing…
"Just go to work, guys. I'm not going anywhere, no one's going to see me… I can hide here," Jewel muttered softly.
"Jewel, your scars don't make you ugly," Goldie tried one last time before she yelled at him again.
"Just go!" she barked, pulling the blankets closer around her. "Just… leave me alone…"
Goldie hesitated, seeing his brother flinch at her words. She wasn't going to listen like this, was she? He pulled his phone out of his coat pocket and placed it on the table near the couch. "Just in case," he said softly. "Alphys' number is in there if you need anything, same with Garnet. Either of them can find me… if you need me," he said softly, before turning with his brother.
"Goodbye, Jewel," Garnet tried once more. "Please… don't feel bad."
Jewel didn't say anything as the brothers left to go to work. She just curled more into that blanket and hid. The door closed behind them and she couldn't help but feel a little bit better. No eyes to stare at her…
"Damn it, they're not judging me," she muttered softly as she wiped the tears from her eyes, but no matter what she did, they wouldn't stop being replaced. At least they didn't fall. She sighed and leaned back against the couch, half burying her face between the fabric and the blanket. "Hell, the media back home over glorified scars at one point," she laughed to herself, but it was hollow.
Yes, the media over glorified scars… on men. Women were supposed to be these flawless porcelain dolls, either pale or golden. The stupid objectified standards she had been brainwashed to believe from an early age with all damn dolls her family tried to thrust onto her, only to be disgusted that she decided to play blocks with her brother. God forbid she show interest in something other than baby-making and home-maker hobbies. She never got the appeal of all those dolls… sure she had an imagination, but having a baby was something she lived from the age of four… why on earth would she want to pretend when she practically raised her brother?
"Heh, the only one who seemed to listen was Grandpa," she muttered softly as she wound up going down memory lane. She remembered that Christmas when she was ten. She had always loved art but once she started getting older, she was told it wasn't something she should show interest in. It was pathetic and she wasn't a child anymore, she had to grow up. But her grandfather, her mother's father, didn't take crap from anyone and got her the very first full art set she had ever received. It was giant, almost half her size with every kind of medium imaginable for a young child. Watercolors, oil pastels, colored pencils, crayons, markers… and a giant sketch pad that couldn't hold half the mediums it came with. She laughed softly at the memory.
"God, Grandpa… you'd hate me now…" she muttered softly. "I'm… so glad you died before you saw what I became… I don't think you or Grandma could have taken it…"
She glanced under the blanket at some of the scars on her arm, remembering when she got them. She was in a fight at the tender age of eleven. It was the one major injury she had gotten before her grandfather had passed. She wasn't the hardened fighter she was now. It was honestly one of the more serious fights she had been in during her starting years. Someone pulled out a knife and slashed at her. She remembered being so scared that she actually froze, allowing a cheap shot in her stomach. Her arm burned, her stomach ached… and she let loose and bit the hand as it came down at her, fangs sinking into the wrist as she almost crushed his arm… magic-empowered of course. No way she could have done it without her magic… as always, her magic bailed her out. She wasn't anything without it… and that's what she was again, wasn't she? Without it again…
"God damn it, I'm going to spiral," she muttered softly before getting up.
She let the blanket fall and felt herself freeze. She still felt so exposed and she felt the need to cover up. Even with no eyes upon her, she just felt so vulnerable… so judged. She wrapped her arms around her core, brushing up against the freshest of her scars. She headed back into the bathroom and looked at the marks left from Error's bones as they pierced through her… the first one and the last ones…
"I can never let Error see these… it'll be a few years before the scars will disappear… Heh… love how you can make the new scars disappear but not the old ones, Angel," she muttered softly.
"They were created before my powers were fully active in you. I cannot do anything about wounds I did not treat."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember the lecture from before," she chuckled softly, but frowned slightly. "You can't… prioritize this?" she asked, touching her stomach. "If Error sees them… I don't think… they realize I still scar…"
"Even if I did, it would still take some time. Why would you assume he would see them? Do you expect to have another revealing shirt?"
"Ha! No… I just… I don't know. What if I get into another fight and I get injured again? You know how they are, they're not going to let me just heal on my own. Sans, Red, they'd all grab bandages."
"While I do approve of still using proper medical wrapping opposed to your "emergency bandages", I suppose I can see your point. He would not take it well, it would seem. Not to mention the others."
"Oh god, Sans wouldn't let it go…" she muttered softly.
"If you wish me too, I can attempt to work on the surface scars when the damage is healed. I cannot do anything as of right now. But if I do, I cannot continue to heal the scar tissue inside that limits your movements right now. You know how your condition flares with it. Surface scars simply do not matter in the long run, they are simply cosmetic. I understand your concern, but perhaps it would be simpler to just… talk to him about it. He might feel guilt, but as you know, the past cannot be changed."
"Ugh, can you two just shut the fuck up?!"
Jewel let out a soft chuckle, but remained silent. It was a fair point… She shook a little bit as she turned, examining each of the scars that were visible. She noted she tended to get a lot of knife wounds when she was a kid… Her hand ran over the two gunshot scars she had that were visible, on her stomach and in her shoulder before her hand ran over her chest where there were several others hidden away by the halter top… some never faded… she wouldn't let them. Without the healing magic, when time didn't flow, there was no way to fade then naturally.
"Stop dwelling, damn it, go do something."
That was probably a good idea. She left the bathroom and avoided the mirror so she didn't start spiraling with the scars along her back. She hated really snooping but she really needed to distract herself. She started looking around before she found some paper and pencils sitting around. It wasn't what she would normally sketch with, but beggars couldn't be choosers. She grabbed the blanket, still feeling rather vulnerable and sat the table with it around her and she started to sketch. It felt weird at first. She hadn't done in so long to begin with, then Error became her muse before he snuffed that back out again… and yet… here she was… nothing looked good at first and there were a lot of crinkled sheets of paper when erasing turned out to be too much.
It had been a few hours, but Alphys finally managed to get away. It was nearing her lunch break and she went to check on the human still inside Goldie and Garnet's room. Of course, she had a meeting with the King to discuss it, and the guards. She was a temporary visitor and didn't seem to cause any issues. A guard was with her though, and she wondered how the human would take this. So with a gentle knock, she steeled herself.
The door opened and the little dinosaur was confused to see Jewel wrapped with a blanket.
"A-are you okay?" she asked.
"Cold," Jewel muttered a bit, blushing just slightly.
"Really? The entire palace is k-kept at the s-same temperature. Onyx doesn't seem a-affected and she's v-very sensitive to the c-cold."
Jewel's blush deepened. "I'm not used to wearing so little."
Alphys questioning glance was quickly replaced with a knowing one when she remembered it was Onyx's clothes she was wearing. "O-oh. D-did you want me to s-see if we have anything else? Something m-more… casual?" she tried.
"Please," Jewel pleaded. "The pants are fine, if not a little lower than I want… a long enough t-shirt would be amazing!" She could handle some of the scars on her arms, the majority would be hidden away.
"O-okay. I'll b-be right back. B-but…" she glanced to the guard.
"Yeah, I get that," she chuckled softly. "I'm not going anywhere like this. I'll leave the door unlocked so you can just come back in, kay Al?"
"A-all right. I'll try not to be too long," she said before scurrying off.
Jewel looked to the poor guard, before moving to the side to let him in before closing the door. She asked if he wanted anything to drink. It wasn't hers by any means, and she let him know this, but she doubted Garnet especially would mind. She fetched the man a glass of water then went back to sit at the table and continued to draw. It was surprisingly silent while the tiny dinosaur was gone.
Alphys almost knocked when she returned before remembering she said to just come in. It felt weird, but… She opened the door and saw the guard kind of hovering over her now, but not in a threatening way. He was watching her sketch.
"How can you get so much detail?" he asked.
"Dude, it's not much," she laughed. "Just sketches to figure out a design."
"Yeah, but, you draw the bones for him," he pointed out.
"Well, yeah, need to get the proportions right. It can look wonky otherwise."
"W-what are you w-working on?" Alphys asked as she walked over.
"Just design concepts. Once I find one I like I'll go into making a pattern."
Alphys looked over at the sketches all over the table. She chuckled a little. This brought her back to designing phases of her own, rough concept ideas. Hers were obviously more technical, but still. Though her eye caught the model of every one, which she had to redraw.
"Is this one of your Sans variant friends?" she asked.
"Yeah, that's Error."
She sweated. "He l-literally has the word "error" across his face?"
"And various parts of his body. He's… kind of a corrupted version," she chuckled. "He glitches out and crashes like an old computer too."
"I suppose it is a g-good idea to take all f-factors into account, e-even that," she smiled before handing Jewel a folded shirt. "I-I hope this is okay."
"If it is, you're a life-saver, Al!"
Alphys blushed and chuckled softly as Jewel went toward the bathroom. When she dropped the blanket, she saw all the scars on her back and instantly paled, as did the guard.
"Damn, she's seen some shit," the guard muttered under his breath.
Crude, but an accurate statement. She thought that Jewel might just be uncomfortable with revealing clothes. Which might still be the case, as she herself didn't like anything revealing, but… with all of that… Alphys could feel her anxiety spiking. She wouldn't leave her house without being covered!
When Jewel came back out, she saw the two staring at her. Granted, the shirt was plain, still a form fitting shirt and rather thin, Jewel felt a hundred times better. Her arms were still showing her scars, but her torso was covered and she didn't feel as exposed. Still exposed but not as bad.
"Thanks, Al. This feels so much better."
"I-I'm glad I could help," she smiled at her, before trying to distract from her current line of questioning forming her in mind. "S-so… i-is this why S-sans asked me to take you out to the s-store?"
Jewel rose a brow. "He asked you to what now? When?" Probably when she was in the bathroom… "I mean… yeah, I'd really appreciate that, but I have no money to pay with right now. Well, not a lot," she said as she went back to her old clothes, pulling out what Gold she had in her pockets with her phone.
"Don't w-worry about payment. The Royal Harem m-members g-get all kinds of l-luxuries. Papyrus tends to m-make his clothes h-himself. Or rather t-the more ornate ones."
"Are you telling me Goldie told you to charge it to him?"
Oh, she was using their other names? Probably logical, considering her travels. "W-well… yes."
She groaned a little. "Damn it, skeleton," she muttered. "I don't like owing people…"
"I-I'm sure he d-doesn't see it like that. H-he's just trying to help you. A-after all, you're s-stuck until your powers return or your f-friend is reachable."
She sighed a little. "Fine… I'll deal with paying him back later. Can't really argue when he's not here."
Alphys smiled shyly, but motioned for the door. The two of them, followed by the guard, walked through the corridor. It wasn't as if everything was in this particular building, but the Royal Harem was attached to a variety of other places… Jewel got to explore a little with Alphys. She didn't mind the guard, really, she understood it, though it probably wasn't helping her anxiety any. She tried to focus on Alphys and doing the shopping she had been promised. This was for Error, after all. And… really… who would have better quality fabric than a store in a Lust world? It was weird, but it was one of the more fashion-forward worlds, more unqiue and vibrant clothing… nothing nearly as casual as what Sans normally wore… or Error. Still, nothing there was really his style, but the fabric choices… well… she couldn't really pass it up. She hadn't done anything creative in a while, minus making Blueberry a broach. She needed an outlet, she… She couldn't really survive most of this without it.
Instead of focusing on any of her problems, however, Jewel buried it and listened to Alphys as she questioned a variety of things about human culture and society. Jewel told her that her world and experiences were probably different, but basic things, like how humans worked, common themes, stuff like that, she happily explained for her. It was a distraction. And then human reproduction came up. It… wasn't something she expected, though she couldn't quite blame her line of questioning. Given their problems in this AU, any knowledge regarding practices might be useful. Humans could use their souls for breeding. After all, humans were very physical creatures. And sure, monsters could breed like that as well, but given their circumstances, it didn't always work that way. Especially for Onyx, being a female monster but in a sire role.
"Listen, Al, if you really want to know, I can get you some books once my powers are stable again, but really… I doubt humans are going to have any help for your right now. Our bodies are too physical and I'm the only human who even realizes we have souls. Souls are more of a figurative thing to most and not all believe in it. It's become a religious thing."
"Really? H-humans don't realize th-they have souls?"
"Nope. They can't see them. But there are some that believe plants and rocks have souls."
"N-normal plants and rocks don't have souls," she rose a brow.
"Humans are a weird bunch, Al. There's so much, it's hilarious."
"But you s-seem to know m-more about monsters…"
"Well, when you have nothing to do but study for years on end…"
"F-fair point," Alphys conceded. "S-so do you have everything?"
"I think so," Jewel said with a smile. She so owed Goldie for this.
"Then l-let's get y-you back," she smiled.