***Hello, everyone! I wrote this when I should've been participating in a class discussion, but did not participate in it because I'm anti-social. Mettaton belongs to Toby Fox, Tara belongs to Kender20 (they finally did their paperwork on the matter...), and let's go!

Chapter Six: Tara, Tiny Dancer

By a miracle, it felt like, Mettaton was home alone for a few hours. In that time, he invited Tara over. He picked up some takeout for them both as well; after all, it was around lunchtime when Tara came over, and Mettaton had to be extra nice to the one person who knew his secret.

Indeed, there was a ring at the doorbell a few minutes after noon, and the robot welcomed the Indian girl inside himself. Thank you for having me over, she signed politely.

"Well, it's normal to be nice to someone who was nice to me. I got lunch, by the way," Mettaton said. He guided Tara to the kitchen table, when he had buckets of ice water temporarily set up to ease his aching feet during lunch.

They both ate in silence for a few moments. Before it could get extremely awkward, two of Tara's thin fingers tapped on the table. Mettaton looked at her.

Am I allowed to ask why you have ice buckets under the table? I'm assuming it's for the same reason you used them at the concert, she signed.

Mettaton rubbed the back of his neck. "I was hoping that you wouldn't notice it," he admitted. When he realized that Tara's focus on learning about what had happened was unwavering, he sighed. He almost wanted to deny her.

However... there was something about her.

Despite the sparkle faintly in her eyes, and her calmness about life, she definitely had more layers to her. There was an aura of experience, almost, in her eyes. And the scar on her neck seemed to support that theory.

Mettaton ran his fingers through his hair as he thoughts and rethought about what he was about to do. "I trust you, Tara. But you cannot—and I mean absolutely cannot—tell this to another living soul. No matter what," he said.

You have my word, Tara agreed, nodding. Mettaton braced himself a final time.

Well, here went nothing.

XxX

"...and that's everything," the robot concluded, sighing. It felt good and bad, all at once. Tara was, understandably, in shock.

Well, you've certainly been able to hide it well from the world, she signed at last. "It hasn't been easy, darling. I've only survived this long because of the ice water tubs," Mettaton said. He rubbed his face. "Anyways, tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, what do you want to do with your life?"

Tara smiled. Well, I was born in India, to a pretty big family. Two sisters and three brothers make for a crowded house. But, then again, everything was crowded back in the slums. We moved away after... That was when her signing ceased, and the smile faded.

Mettaton held her hand briefly. "You can tell me," he said.

We moved away to America when I was ten, after my throat was slit by thugs in the slums. I was treated and brought back from the brink of death in the hospitals there, yes, but I got better treatment in America. Up until that incident, I liked to sing and dance. But now that I'm mute, I put a lot more stock in my dancing. That's what I want to be someday—a freeform dancer, Tara concluded.

Mettaton stroked his chin thoughtfully. "A dancer, hm? Do you mind showing me a little bit of how you dance?" he asked.

Tara smiled, slightly prideful and slightly shy. Where do you want me to dance?

XxX

After adjusting the table and chairs in the kitchen, as well as plugging up Tara's phone to the speaker in Mettaton's chest, everything seemed to be set up. A song was picked out and ready to play.

Tara's baggy sweater and shoes were on a chair, leaving her in a t-shirt, leggings, and socks. She smiled and gave the thumbs-up. So, Mettaton hit play.

To his surprise, Tara's dancing was actually pretty good. Even though she was in a small kitchen space and had just a few minutes to work with, Mettaton felt as though he was watching an excerpt from a full-length show on a big stage, in front of an audience.

He loved the grace, fluidity, and energy of this young woman so much that he was actually disappointed when the song came to a close and Tara stopped dancing. She smiled hopefully. What did you think of it? she signed.

Mettaton smiled right back at her. "I think I'm going to like you quite a lot, Tara."

***Here we are, furthering the plot. Be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!