I hear dreams sound like chachachachacha Chapter 61
The warm skeleton house was a welcoming sight, outside and in. A moment of respite and a chance for everyone to clean up and change their clothes after all the rolling in nature and crying.
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Frisk was back in her striped hoodie and black-and-white heart t-shirt, but Asriel had nothing to change into. Papyrus volunteered to lend clothes, but quickly discovered that his skinny frame was much too small for a six-foot teenaged goat. However, he did have some old, larger clothes that he couldn't recall how he'd obtained way at the back of his closet. With a quick hemming of pants, Asriel was set, also equipped with a long-sleeved grey shirt and a black, highwayman's trench coat with silver moon-styled buttons. He thought he looked pretty cool— Chara thought he looked like he was going to sell kids counterfeit trading cards in a back alley.
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As Chara prepared some chai for everyone and Asriel and Papyrus ran through the basics of some Boss moves up in the skeleton's room, Frisk flopped on the couch in a goatish heap, staring up at the ceiling. She'd forgotten how physically tiring doing— or even attempting— a soulbond was. Even with a reset, she'd slept for more than twelve hours after the one she'd done with Sans months back. She couldn't afford that here, but maybe just a little rest…? She put a paw over her eyes.
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A cozy blanked draped across her and Frisk cautioned a look. The sharp-toothed Sans was just straightening up, but he plunked down beside her, looking almost as groggy as she felt.
"Nap," he said.
"I'm okay." She pulled the blanket up around her anyway.
"Brave, tryin' twice," he said. "S'not a big deal to not get it the first time so, uh, let it sit for today, alright?"
"Kay," she said. She nestled up and let herself sink into the cushion. "I'd love to sit today."
Sans snickered. He reached out and patted her head a few times, but his hand stalled between her horns. He tapped on her with his index finger. "How's it goin' in there, anyway?"
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"Not bad," Frisk said. "Kinda used to seeing other people's memories Which is…" She made a face and and then laughed at herself. "Pretty weird, actually!"
The skeleton grinned sideways. "I bet."
"I didn't feel like I was actually him, though, so that's not so bad," she said. "Mostly they don't. I mean, they don't make me feel like I'm actually the other person." She could think of a few exceptions, but she shoved them away quickly. "I-It's just kinda seeing them, mostly. Oh! But I can look around sometimes if it's on purpose, that's sorta cool."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. I did that a bit before we came out here. It's like a weird power I have," she said. "I guess… I'm kinda like my brother? Where we have weird magic that connects to memory stuff. A-And my dad can do this too, but I can share my memories like that."
"So it goes both ways," Sans said thoughtfully.
"Mhm! And I found out I can do it to stuff, too? Like, items, I guess. Or… walls? Buildings and stuff. If there's a big magic imprint on them or something. That one I… feel a bit more, though."
"Huh. Sounds like you'd make a good detective," he said.
"Oh?" Frisk blinked. "Yeah, I guess so. I never thought about it." She rubbed her head. "This's all been happening super fast."
The skeleton nodded.
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"You, uh… Seem a little better, though," Sans said. "Even with that crazy stuff since ya got back." He tilted his head and a faint frown crossed his face. "That was a lot, too. I mean. I'm grateful. Wouldda hated to see ya and our kiddo not gettin' on. But still."
"Everything's been a lot ever since we left home," Frisk said, "and I totally keep saying that, too. I think I probably said that more in the last couple days than I ever said it before, ever."
Sans chuckled. "Understandable. But. Glad y'found your bro." He winked. "Almost looked like ya slept well for a little bit."
"Y-Yeah, guess so," Frisk said.
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"Hey. You interrogating her or what?" Chara returned to them with mugs of steaming chai.
"Only a little," Sans said with a wink as he gratefully accepted a mug. "Thanks, pigeon."
"It's okay, I don't mind," Frisk said.
"He's right, though," the girl said, forcing a drink into Frisk's hand. "About the rest, I mean. Drink this, it'll help."
The kid nodded, blew on the liquid, then took a deep sip. "S'nice. Thanks. I-I'm okay. Just happy to not be in, like, constant panic mode, I guess."
"Hear that," Sans said.
Chara nodded towards the kitchen. "Then… Since those two nerds are still doing… whatever, upstairs, you wanna use the kitchen for anything? You said you liked baking, right?"
Frisk's fur bristled and her ears perked. "Y-Yeah! Do… you wanna—?"
"Of course I want to or I wouldn't have said anything," Chara said with a teasing smile. "But not if you're too tired."
Frisk nodded and began to chug the spiced, milky tea. Sans snickered.
"Whoa, careful," Chara said. "You're allowed to drink it in the kitchen, you know!"
"Ah! R-Right," Frisk said. She almost spilled as she got up and Chara reached out to sturdy her. "I only know, like, two loafs, but do you wanna—?"
"Yes, Frisk." The freckled girl held in a laugh. "Show me."
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The soda bread Frisk knew was just a few ingredients: flour, buttermilk, baking soda, honey, and salt. Her father's version had herbs, and when Chara dragged out little bottles of dried plants for her to find the right one, nostalgia hit her like a train. It hadn't been that long ago she was baking this with her dad, right?
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Bread wasn't really Chara's forte, but she was eager to help Frisk as she mixed everything together and kneaded the dough into a rounded, loaf-shape (thankfully not leaving any blue fur behind). The kid slipped out so Chara could score the top for her with a sharp blade, then they put the bread in the oven and retreated to the living room, where Sans was passed out and snoring.
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They ran into Papyrus and Asriel bounding down the stairs. The latter had a big, dopey grin on his face and the skeleton gestured broadly to him.
"SANS! Wake up!" he said.
"Whhhhyyyy?" Sans said, opening his good eye just a crack.
"Did you know he has a blaster?!"
"You have a blaster?" Chara asked.
Asriel shrugged and gave a wink. With a glimmer in his eye, a huge, ghostly white, goat-like blaster skull with two sets of curling horns appeared behind him, taking up much of the room. Chara yelped, wide-eyed as Asriel grinned and stepped back to pat the massive thing on the top of the snout.
"The good ol' Hyper Goner," he said with a smile. "Though it's kinda more of a black-hole than a blaster. It can blast. If I want. Also I can make it way bigger than this. Nnnnot in here, though." He snapped his fingers and it vanished into a smattering of sparkles.
"Aaah, that's so cool!" Papyrus said brightly. "I was so excited to get mine!" He whirled on Frisk. "What about yours?!"
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"M-Mine?" Frisk blinked. "I don't have any," she said.
"Why not?" he asked. "Oh! Are you not old enough yet? I guess you are quite small…"
"And I dunno if it works," she said. "I'm… not a real monster. So."
Papyrus reached out to her and gently lifted her ocarina in his careful fingers. "But you have this, don't you?"
"I don't even know how to make it appear or anything, though," she said. She shrugged tepidly, but held the little vessel flute gingerly as Papyrus passed it back to her. She ran her thumb over it, unable to help a fond smile. "My grandma was super strong, so… I dunno, it was probably just a fluke."
"Flootk…" Sans said under his breath. "Eh. Not great."
Frisk snickered and Chara gave him a hard nudge with her elbow.
"Sans," Papyrus scolded.
Sans shrugged widely.
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"Anyway," Papyrus said quickly. "Asriel! If she has time, you should duel with Undyne before you go home! I think you'd really enjoy it. It wasn't too bad, right, Frisk?"
"Uhhh…" She smiled sideways. "I think she went easy on me."
"Even so!" He smiled brightly. "Or! You and I could battle later! If you like!"
Asriel's eyes brightened. "Sure. I'd kinda love that, actually. We could go outside now if—"
"Kid, take it easy," Sans said.
"What? I'm fine," Asriel replied quickly.
"I know it can be, uh, energizin' at first," the skeleton continued, "but that wears off pretty fast."
Chara nodded. "And with everything else—"
"I'm okay! Really!" he said. "Totally fine! Hey! We could do that and we could go to the stores, too, right? I wanted to grab a bunch of stuff to take home. Frisk, what d'you think?"
"Well, yeah, but—"
"Oh! Right! It's pretty early, still, right? Does that matter? Maybe they won't be open," he continued, heading for the door. "That's okay! You guys coming?"
Frisk raised an eyebrow. "…Maybe we should eat breakfast first," she said. "We have a loaf in the oven, right? And you could have some chai, that's pretty nice."
"It's fine. I'm fine," he said.
The skeletons looked at each other; Chara grimaced.
"What?" Asriel said.
"Welp." Sans locked eyes with him and cracked a sympathetic smile. "S'bullshit, right?"
"Yeah," Chara agreed.
"I was going to say that but more politely," Papyrus said.
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Asriel froze. "Wh-Wha…?"
"Come on, Azzy," Chara said. "Everyone can see it."
"It's, um, pretty obvious what you went through was rough," Frisk said gently. "Everyone was right there, remember?"
"…Oh." The boy's face flushed. He rubbed the back of his head. "Ah… Y-Yeah. I guess… Maybe it wasn't… the easiest. Whatever, it's okay."
"Y'wanted to get your mind off stuff?" Sans asked.
"S-Something like that," Asriel admitted.
Chara took him by the hand. "You're such a dork. Come on." She pulled him towards the kitchen. "Don't make yourself miserable, yeah?"
"O-Okay, okay!" he said sheepishly.
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Frisk sighed with relief. Papyrus shot her a sympathetic smile.
"Get some rest in the meanwhile, friend," he said. "Would you like me to read you a story?"
"I would," Sans said in jest.
Papyrus scoffed. Frisk smiled, but she shook her head.
"S'okay. I'm just gonna chill."
"That is also a good choice." He pulled her blanket up around her and patted her on the head.
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The kid hid a yawn behind her hand. She rubbed her eyes again and let them close, but after a few seconds, a cold, unsettled feeling writhed in her stomach. It was like eyes were peering at her from every angle. She shivered, drew in a sharp breath, and roused herself quickly.
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She was surprised to find herself curled up against Sans's side. The warm scent of soda bread wafted around the room and the oven let out a sharp chime. The creak of its door interrupted it.
"Looks done!" Chara called.
Frisk blinked, her face wrinkling with confusion.
"Hey. Y'alright?" Sans asked.
"…Was I asleep that long?" she asked quietly.
"Y'have a bad dream?" the skeleton asked. "Y'were shakin' a bit."
"I was?" She shook her head to try to drive the grogginess away. "I dunno. Think I'm okay."
Sans raised a brow slightly. "Kay," he said.
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Breakfast was done. Frisk's loaf was a little lopsided, but crusty and perfect on the inside. Asriel'd spent the time gathering spreads, and even tried his hand at making a fruity spread from scratch. It was deep red and more of a compote than the intended jam, but it smelled sweet and wonderful. Once the fresh bread was sliced, the group gathered in the living room and made toasty sandwiches of Asriel's jam and whatever else they could find that would spread. Chara and Frisk both wolfed their meals like they hadn't eaten in a week.
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They still had time before they were to head to the city. Sans decided on a nap, but Asriel's new direction of focus was trawling through as many shops as were open in Snowdin. Though Frisk was running low, he still had a ton of gold on him and there wasn't a place that would turn it down. After purchasing a large messenger bag with an awful lot of mallet space— and with Chara pointing the way— he dragged the others straight to the book store.
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The place was quaint and cramped, stuffed to the brim with shelves, used and new tomes intermingled; all organized by the colour of their covers. Asriel's eyes got misty but that didn't stop him from charging in and yanking books with such fervour that the six-horned, sheepy shopkeep ducked down behind the counter. Frisk searched low to the ground and Asriel pulled what he could from the top shelves. Books of Arias, Hymns; Marches, from children's books to advanced manuals— Asriel grabbed a copy of every different one they found and stacked them high. Chara even found a few books on elemental magic, a style that was hugely underrepresented back home. Papyrus grabbed more potion recipe books for them, too, certain that they would come in handy for a world that had mostly forgotten about them. Frisk, on the other hand, slipped some otherworldly manga into the pile, mostly for Alphys and Undyne.
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Next was a crystal shop. Inside, an unassuming storefront opened onto a small cavern, with stone shelves laden with wares that appeared to be growing from them. The monster behind the counter was a chunky bat gargoyle that could have been carved straight out of the wall itself. They gladly showed the kids all kinds of crystal structures— some for enchantments, channelling, barriers, or things as simple as some special types of flashlight. There were even some that functioned as a simple alert system, like the round ones Papyrus and Chara carried. Asriel built up quite the stockpile before they left.
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As the goat boy and Chara sped down the road, Frisk lagged behind, a tired, stiffness in her legs catching up with her. She didn't mind so much now, though. Being blue gave a certain sense of security in a town like this. Papyrus dropped back to walk with her, shooting her a sympathetic smile.
"I can take you home," he said.
"No, s'okay, I'm just a bit tired," she said.
"I think he'll probably be skipping the alchemy shop, hm? How would you like to step in there with me?" he asked.
"Sure," she said.
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They weren't far, and the snow wasn't harsh on her paws, but Papyrus picked her up anyway. She didn't mind, and it didn't slow him down one bit.
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Inside the store, the long-eared, purple serpent stirred her cauldron at its centre as if she'd never left. A few other monsters were browsing, but that didn't stall Papyrus for even a second as he rushed up to the shopkeeper.
"Excuse me, but can I talk to you?! About some plants?"
"I'm alwayssss in the mood to sssspeak about plantsss," the snake said with a smile. She looked down at Frisk. "Oh, hello again!"
Frisk waved. Papyrus whipped a large alchemy book from nowhere and opened it precisely to the page covered in hyacinth.
"Why purple hyacinth?!" he asked.
"…Pardon?" the snake asked, tilting her head.
"For my brother. He's, um… Like me but big and white? We came in yesterday," Frisk said.
"Oh! Yesss. For him," she said. "Sssilver maple and—"
"Purple hyacinth, which it says here is for regret and has very little uses on its own except for a mysterious and probably unethical potion to convince people to confess to crimes they committed!" Papyrus said, pointedly tapping on the page with a sharp fingertip.
"Hmm… But the ssssmell is very nicssse, issssn't it?" the serpent said.
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Papyrus pouted. "It was just for the smell?!"
"Well…" The snake scrunched her snout up. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "If you musssst know, the sssoul sssimply ssssings ssssomething to me, and I provide the plantsss. I'm not alwaysss sssure what they might create."
"Oh." Papyrus rubbed his chin. "I seeee…"
"There isss… a few other potionsss. Combonationsss. The leaf and flower together could prove promissssing. But…"
"But?" Papyrus pushed. "Ooh. I could experiment! Except…!" His eyes went wide. "Miss Naja, will you please, pretty please, let me rent a cauldron?!"
"Papyrussss, you know I can't—"
"I know, I know, but I really am curious and I'm very good, I won't set anything on fire or—!"
Miss Naja raised her ears as if they were hands to pause him. "A compromissse. If you bring me ssssome moonwater, I'll brew ssssomething for you at no exsstra fee." She smiled. "It's not ssssomething I've ever made before." She smiled at Frisk. "But, perhapssss it would be helpful for your brother. I believe it might be… ssssoothing."
"…I think he could use something like that about now," the kid admitted.
"Then it's a deal!" Papyrus said brightly.
The serpent's pale eyes brightened. "Good, I'm glad."
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With a grin, Papyrus grabbed Frisk's hand and turned on his heel, only to spin around again, discombobulating the blue kid. "Oh! One more thing! Ginseng elixir! Two of them, please!"
"Ah! Of coursssse." The serpent's eyes flashed with deep blue and several plants from around the room zoomed over in a watery aura, dropping one by one into the cauldron. "Two gold, pleasssse."
"Just two?! What a steal!" Papyrus dug into his pockets.
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Frisk beat him. She stood on her toes and plunked some coins into the pot. Miss Naja smiled and dipped her head, then stirred the mysterious liquid with her giant spoon. After a few seconds, it flashed cyan, then foamed over with peach bubbles. She pulled the spoon out and gently laid it across the top, then used her tail to dip a bottle into the potion. The liquid shimmered as she pulled it out and closed the bottle with a cork. She handed it to Papyrus, repeated the process one more time for him, and then passed Frisk a blue, star-shaped blossom and four small, white flowers with yellow heads.
"A firsssst purchasssse gift," she said. "Blue beltaine and chamomile. Very plessssant."
"A-Ah! Thanks," Frisk said, holding them carefully. She'd have known that blue flower anywhere. "My grandma used these blue ones in some spells before."
Miss Naja's eyes flickered with surprise and her smile widened. "Very lovely."
"Thank you again!" Papyrus said, taking Frisk by the hand and heading for the door. "I will definitely get you that moonwater!"
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Outside, the skeleton looked worried. "Now where do I get moonwater?"
"Undyne?" Frisk suggested.
"Oh! Right! But she said her pool only makes it every full moon," he said.
"Doesn't mean she doesn't have a jug of it somewhere, right?" the kid said.
"Ahh! You know! You're probably right," he said. He grinned. "Very clever, Frisk. I'll—"
"Heeeey! You guys!" Asriel was up the road a few stores, waving at them. He bounded over to them with Chara wandering behind him. "Where'd you go?"
"Back to the alchemy shop," Frisk said, carefully stashing her new flowers away. "Find some cool stuff?"
"We went to check out magic weapons!" Asriel said, eyes glimmering.
"I had to stop him from buying everything in there," Chara teased. "But. You're still going home with too much junk."
"You can't tell me parents won't find some use for a flame enchanted kitchen knife," he said.
"And the Galaxey? I'm sure that'll be useful. " The girl smiled slyly. "Or the Icesickle? Or the—"
"W-Whatever, they're cool, I'm sure I can figure something out," Asriel insisted, his face flushing. "…You guys wanna see?"
"Yes," Frisk said, wide-eyed.
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"Though that does sound very awesome, I will look later!" Papyrus said, turning around. "I'll catch you back at home!"
"Wait, where're you going?" Chara called.
"Oh! To send a letter! Won't be long!" He spun to walk backwards and tossed the potion bottles towards Frisk.
She fumbled but caught them in both hands. "What're these for?"
"You! Drink the whole thing, okay? And give one to Sans, I think he needs one as much as you do!" He marched off down the road at a swift pace, waving over his shoulder. "I'll be back soooooon!"
xXxXx
At the house, Asriel proudly laid out his purchases on the floor, showing off an array of books and glittering crystals, each labelled with their purpose— more than enough for Alphys to analyze. He'd also grabbed some cookware for Papyrus, some of this world's star charts for Sans, and packets of magic seeds for Asgore. The seeds, Chara explained, were from the decedents of normal plants germinated in magic soil eons ago, making them fully compatible with all of a monster's needs. All the farms in their Kingdom used them.
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As Asriel proudly showed off all the elaborate, magic weapons he'd procured (and had somehow fit all into one bag), Frisk gingerly sipped her elixir. The flavour was sweet, with a hint of anise and a strange but not-unpleasant earthiness to it. It reminded her a little of one of Queen Undyne's teas, and it eased some of the exhaustion in her, especially the ache in her legs.
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"So, what about this for Undyne?" Asriel asked.
Frisk hadn't been paying attention, but as she zoned back in, saw her brother holding out a massive, gleaming trident in silver and glassy blue.
"It's kinda like dad's, but like, fishier. Right?" he said, his eyes shining. "You think she'd like it, right?"
"For sure, she'd totally love it," Frisk said with a nod. Her eyes darted over the other things but lingered mostly on a large, purple and gold shield with the four-winged Delta Rune emblazoned on it. "S'cool stuff."
"I'm still trying to think of some stuff for mom and your dad," he said. "What d'you think, the books enough for G or…?" He tilted his head. "You spacing out?"
"Hm? Oh, no, um… Books are good. He loves books," she said. "You probably know better than I do, honestly."
"Oh, uh. Right." He rubbed his head.
"You alright?" Chara asked, leaning closer to her. "Is the potion helping?"
"Think so," she said. She looked at the other bottle of elixir and put hers aside, getting to her feet. "Just gonna check on Sans, okay?"
"Oh. Ah. Yeah, sure, he's probably in his room," Chara said.
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Frisk nodded and headed upstairs. She gently knocked on Sans's door, waiting until she heard a faint grunt as reply. She slipped into the dim room, where the lump of skeleton rested on his bedroll, buried under a thick blanket. The kid snuck over to him, careful not to step on any of his floor junk.
"Hey," she said quietly. "Paps got, um… gin-sing…? Elixir. Like a drink? For you." She squatted down to place it at his side. "I'll just leave it here, okay?"
"…Wait," he said groggily.
Frisk froze. The big heap of bones shifted and Sans heaved himself upright to sit, rubbing his head.
"How 'bout you? Still doin' alright?"
"Oh. Yeah. I'm just tired," she assured him.
Sans nodded. He looked her up and down. "Y'could probably go like normal here, if ya wanted to."
She shook her head. "I don't have that many charges," she said. She sat on the floor and rubbed her hands together, her eyes lingering on her white claws. "Maybe this is better. I dunno."
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The skeleton's brow furrowed with sympathy. "Welp. If ya say so," he said. He took the elixir, popped the cork, and took a swig. "Ah. Thanks, kiddo."
She nodded. "Um. You're… gonna be okay, right?"
"Pff. Yeah. 'Course I am, why wouldn't…?" He fell silent, a little flicker of blue in his iris. "Ah. Sorry." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Look. Don't waste time worryin' 'bout me."
She shrugged. His grin twisted sideways.
"No matter what, even if I'm a literal pile of bones on the floor, it ain't your fault. Kay?"
"But I really really don't want you to be that, though," Frisk said.
Sans chuckled. "Won't be. Just need some rest." He nodded towards the door. "Y'nerds still plannin' on a trip to the Inner Circle?"
"Yeah," she said. "You gonna stay here?"
He nodded, but his grin widened and he winked. "Wouldn't take me long to catch up, though."
"I'm glad you can do that, too," she said quietly.
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Sans tilted his head. "C'mon, kid, why so glum?"
Frisk shrugged. The skeleton let out a sigh and he held her face, gently giving her fuzzy cheeks a squish. The kid drooped. She huffed and then leaned forward to squeeze him into a hug. He hesitated only for a moment before wrapping his arms around her.
"Sheesh. Not feelin' good, huh?"
She gritted her teeth. "I just…" She sighed heavily. "Please don't get sick."
"Frisk. Relax. Alright?" He rubbed her head. "It's not a big deal. Promise."
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Frisk's heart thumped. She wilted. Her chest felt a little lighter. "Thanks." She pulled back and cleared her throat. "B-But if you need me to reverse something, tell me, okay? I'll use a charge up for that, I don't care."
Sans smiled. "Definitely 'preciate it. But, chill."
She nodded.
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The door creaked and a sliver of brightness seeped in. Chara raised her hand to greet them. She clutched two hexagonal cut crystals and a few small, round ones in the other.
"Hey. Mind if I use one of the back rooms?" she asked.
"Nah, go ahead." Sans snapped his fingers and the void clogging the empty doorframe at the back of the room lightened, opening onto the same place Frisk had found the two of them working in a few days ago.
"Thanks." Chara smiled. She joined them, patting the skeleton on the head— her hand made a hollow slapping sound. She snickered. "Take care of yourself, bonehead."
"Yeah yeah," he said. "Don't w…" His dead eye shot over to Frisk and he turned to face her, wide-eyed. "Uh. Kid?"
"Yeah?" she said.
Chara, too, turned her attention on Frisk, only to yelp loudly, dropping her stones. She bent down to grab Frisk by the shoulder with one hand and hold her cheek with the other. "What the hell?! Are you okay?!"
"Yeeeah? Whyyyy?" Frisk asked cautiously.
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Sans hook his blanket onto his thumb and scooted close, dabbing the end of her snout with it. She squeaked, only to see that all-too-familiar black liquid on the fabric. It evaporated within a second. Frisk quickly brushed her nose with her paw. It, too, was stained for just an instant, the white and blue fur equally darkened before the pitch goo vanished.
"Oooh." Frisk rolled her eyes, sniffled, and wiped her face on the back of her arm. "Aaah, this junk again."
"Are you okay?" Chara asked again, her tone stern and her brow wrinkled.
"Yeah." Frisk sniffed. "Yeah, it's fine. But…" Her eyes widened. "W-Wait, um…" She got to her feet, peering around in the dim light for any speck of unusual glow or shadow. "Dad?"
"Dad? You think your dad's here?" the girl demanded.
"I dunno, but this stuff is, like, weird time goo? Or something…? Dad?" She peeked around, sticking her head into the mysterious room beyond the doorframe, but she didn't see anything there, either. "Daaad, it's Frisk, you there?"
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"That'd be somethin', huh?" Sans said. A faint glow lit in his eye again, then dimmed. "…I'm not seein' anythin', kiddo."
"Aw." The blue kid's ears drooped, but she wandered back to them nonetheless, a pout on her face. "…Thanks for checking."
"You're sure you're okay?" Chara insisted.
"Oh. Yeah. I'm fine." Frisk wiped her nose again; the ooze was gone. "That was dumb."
"Go finish your potion," the girl said, nodding at the door. "I just got some stuff I gotta do before we go." She pointed at Sans. "You, too. Go to bed."
"Good idea, pigeon," he said. He turned his gaze on Frisk. "Careful, alright?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Sleep well, dude."
The skeleton stuck his thumb up.
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Heading downstairs again, Frisk noticed Asriel where he sat on the floor, packing up his stuff. He was sniffling a little.
"Hey, did your nose start with the void goo?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh! Yeah," he said. "Stopped now, though."
She sat beside him, pulling some of the crystals aside to help put them away. "I was hoping dad was showing up."
"Hm. I didn't see anything," Asriel said.
Frisk sighed. "Figures." She grabbed her elixir and took a deep glug. "…Man, what's going on with that?"
"I dunno." His ears drooped. "You're the smart one here. I just headbutt things."
She clunked the heel of her palm against her forehead. "Since when am I the smart one?" she asked under her breath.
Asriel snickered. "I guess we just gotta keep a lookout for weird stuff."
"What else is new?" Frisk cracked a smile. "Imagine if dad just like, dropped in and it was all really chill or something? That'd be nice, right?"
"Sure would." Asriel leaned back. He puffed out a quiet sigh. "Well. Hopefully thing dream thing'll help."
"Yeah," Frisk said. She tipped the rest of the potion into her mouth and swallowed hard. She stuck out her tongue. "Wanna show me those magic weapons again? Sorry, my brain wasn't really there before."
Asriel's eyes lit right up. "Oh! Okay! Did you see the Galaxey? You're gonna love that one!"
xXxXx
Once Papyrus had returned and Chara had finished upstairs, the four kids set out, using Chara's dove pendant to get them right to the Inner Circle. It was bright, clear day, with a strong, crisp wind rattling an assortment of trees in a plain of green laid out before them.
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The portal's position here was built into an alcove up against a large, stone wall, with a small guardhouse on either side. Before it stretched a long, wide park of greenery following the telltale curve of the ringed city. A second, larger wall blocked their view of what was beyond the park, though this one was darker, with stone warped and twisted in spots, melted and scarred. It rose into hard, spiked points, though they were decorated with fairy lights and wreathed in leafy vines.
.
As they stepped out onto the grass, Chara turned back to wave at the armoured boar guard, then gestured for the others to pause. She grabbed Frisk's hand and slipped a round crystal into it.
"Keep hold of this," she said. She gave Asriel one, as well, then held out one of her own on the pads of her fingers. "Tap them all together, now."
Papyrus took his crystal out as well and, though puzzled, Frisk and Asriel followed Chara's instructions. They all flashed over with an orange light.
"There," Chara said. "If something happens and we end up separated, just give it a squeeze and think about finding each other. It'll do orange for the right way and blue for the wrong way. Got it?"
"That's cool, I like that," Frisk said.
"That is a good idea, actually, sister, since I will be deviating just a liiitttlle bit," Papyrus said. "I'm going to go see Undyne about some moonwater as well."
"Do you need me to come with you?" Chara asked.
"Nnnno, no, I don't think so, I sent a letter ahead of time," he said.
"Okay, good." She gestured down the field to a distant, barred gate, left slightly ajar. "Shall we?"
.
The street outside the park was wide and slightly curved, with clear (and massive) sidewalks on either side, not unlike those in human cities. Tall buildings with roofs like battlements or pointed turrets ran along the road, their colours pale except pops of brightness from flower boxes hanging from windows. Structures farther away looked to be higher up, and more walls similar to the one blocking the park loomed up the slope
.
A few elegantly-dressed monsters strolled along the sidewalk, and someone who looked like a long-necked pterodactyl leisurely pedalled a bike down the road.
"Whoa," Asriel said quietly. "So… the castle and the Alphys Academy are around here somewhere?"
"Closer to the centre," Chara said, grabbing Asriel's sleeve and starting them on their way.
"It… feels kinda closed-off," Frisk said. "Like… Not in a bad way? It's kinda cozy."
"It's meant to be defensible," the freckled girl said.
"Defence…?
"In case somebody came to attack it," Papyrus explained to her, "it's supposed to be easy to protect. I mean! It was more like that. Before, when the curse was here." He pointed ahead of them, where the road branched off to another on an upward slope.
The street ran under an archway beneath a high tower covered in vines. Frisk pulled out her phone and snapped a picture.
"See? There's a portcullis lifted up in there to block the street," Papyrus said.
"A… huh?" Frisk asked.
"It's a heavy, metal gate that comes down from above and locks," Chara said. "I guess you could climb the buildings to get around it, but if someone was trying to get something big up there, they'd have to try to break the gate open."
"Ooh. Okay." Two new words for Frisk to keep in her head. "That's cool."
"Plus, there'd usually be a couple guards stationed up there." Chara pointed up to the top of the tower.
There were some open windows at the top. A chunky orange goblin was stationed there, and she waved at them upon taking notice of their gaze. Papyrus enthusiastically waved back and Chara raised her hand as well.
Asriel cracked a smile. "Interesting," he said. "You guys learn a lot about this stuff? I don't think we needed it back home because, uh, y'know, mountain."
A smug grin spread on Chara's lips. "Oh. Yeah. But it's because we were the ones they were trying to lock out."
"You were?" Frisk squeaked.
Papyrus grinned. "Oh! Yes! Very much, yes, I am great at getting through now, if you ever need someone to cull portcullises for you!"
"What did you guys have to do?" Asriel asked, wide-eyed.
"Rebellion. It was an ordeal," Chara said. "But. As you can see. It went well."
"Yes! Oh, you should have seen it before we practically staged a coup!" Papyrus said. "It was very spiky and twisted and unpleasant, with definitely no plants at all except brambles for miles! This is a lot better."
.
Asriel frowned thoughtfully. "So… Asgore. He did all that?"
"Like I said, he cursed himself before anyone else," Chara said. "He… wasn't bad. Once it was lifted. But he'd done too many… Well. Horrible things. So he exiled himself." She smiled sideways. "He's the strongest monster alive, so it's not like anyone could imprison him anyway."
"And what's m…? What's Toriel trying to do with him?" he asked.
"We are not entirely sure," Papyrus said.
"I just think she wants some closure. Whatever that means for her," Chara said. She shrugged. "He might already be dead for all we know."
"I hope not," the skeleton said with a faint, worried frown.
"Did he…?" Asriel grimaced. "Did he look like dad, too?"
"…Not as much as you'd expect," Chara said. "Plus he was huge."
"How big?"
"HUGE."
"Is it still his big throne thing in there?" Frisk asked.
"Believe it or not, that one was mom's," Chara said. "We broke his, didn't we, Papy?"
"We sure did!" he said.
.
At the next crossroads, Chara lead them off their street and underneath one of the stone towers to the next circle. There were a lot more monsters here, the bustle growing louder as shops with busy storefronts replaced the quieter places near the park. Chara paused against one of the walls, pulling a map from her pocket and unfolding it to show the others. She tilted her head, turned to squint up at a road sign, and then pointed to a spot on the paper. Frisk and Asriel leaned in around her. From the bird's eye view the map gave, it looked as if the streets here branched a lot more into a maze of narrow passageways. However, not far from where they were was a large, open area. Chara tapped on it.
"What were the streets, Azzy?" she asked.
"Uh… Nettle. Silver…thorn? And Bl—," he said.
"Blackberry. Good," she said.
He pouted. "You remembered on your own."
She shot him a teasing grin. "We're almost there. Hopefully we can get in."
"…We might not be able to?" Frisk asked worriedly.
"Well. You never know. We'll check the top-rated ones first," Chara said. "And there's other options if we can't get in, anyway. I'm not worried about it."
"Okay," Frisk said. She nodded to herself. "Then… I won't worry, either."
"That's a first," Asriel teased.
"Shhhshshsh," Frisk said, batting at him gently.
He snickered and mussed up her hair. A fond smile crossed Chara's face. Papyrus patted her on the shoulder.
"Then I guess this is where I will part ways with you guys! Temporarily, of course!" He took a few steps backwards across the street and shot finger guns their way. "Good luck, Frisk!"
"You too!" she said.
"I don't need it, but thank you!"
.
Chara folded up her small map again and they continued onwards. Frisk stuck close but, if she were honest, she desperately wanted to explore this place. She took photos of anything that caught her eye. Everything was so foreign, but somehow, it felt safe here, like New Home after the barrier'd been broken. The complete antithesis of every human city she'd ever been to before travelling to the mountain. She knew there were nice places out there, too— she'd seen some once she'd been accompanied with her family— but it was hard to separate those places from the long nights out in the cold and rain and being chased from back alleys like she was some stray beast.
.
She unwittingly reached for Asriel's hand and he grabbed her without question. She wasn't happy at all with the notion that whispered in her ear that, out of disguise, she'd be seen as a horror to many of these people because of how quickly a human could destroy all of them. She gritted her teeth. Why did she have to be this? Why couldn't she have been born a—?
.
"There."
Chara's voice cut through Frisk's runaway thoughts, jerking her eyes up to follow the girl's finger as she levelled it at a massive, bustling plaza marked by a sign that read: Silverthorn Square. Market stalls crowded its centre and monsters of all shapes and sizes—fancy and not— passed through. Just beyond all that, two vastly different buildings, each with "dream" on their signs, faced each other down directly across the street from one another.
.
On the left was a many-storeyed, brightly-lit place, speckled with crystal and gold, with magic flashing from its windows and confetti periodically shooting from the top. A red carpet lolled out from the front doors, below a massive, magic-approximation of a neon sign that proudly declared: MTT'S DREAMLAND with a smattering of moons and stars in bright pink and blue drifting around it and up the walls. Monsters lined up out the door, checking in with a knight in pink and silver armour with large, moon-shaped pauldrons before going in.
.
On the right, a dusky purple building framed by glittering wisteria trees stood its ground. It had two chunks of amethyst right at a wooden, sliding door. The windows were round, with wooden structures inside faintly resembling a web. A big, carved sign named the place Spider's Dreamcatcher, highlighted with the icon of a spider's web inside a circle.
.
In the middle of the road between the places, two monsters stood in each other's faces, bickering loudly. One was a tall, lithe, five-eyed lavender spider lady, draped in an elegant black and purple robe. Her dark hair was up in a bun with two sharp, wooden sticks protruding from it, a little webbing glistening between them. A small spider on her shoulder mimicked her sly smirk and crossed arms. The other monster looked almost human, but was a silvery alabaster and smooth, with clear ball-and-socket joints and long, elven ears poking out of shimmery, stylish black hair. He was draped in a long, luxurious blue bathrobe but what stood out the most what his high-heeled, pink boots.
.
"W-Wait, don't tell me that's Mettaton?" Frisk asked shrilly, eyes lighting up. "And… is that Muffet?"
Chara looked between the two buildings, then sighed and laughed dryly to herself, running her hand through her bangs. "No wonder the ratings were so high."
"…And that means it's probably kinda weird but everyone just really likes him, though, right?" Frisk asked under her breath.
Chara spit out a laugh. "Hah! You know him pretty well, then."
"Well. That's just great," Asriel said. "Which one?"
"Depends," Chara said. She walked towards the two monsters and cleared her throat.
.
"…I refuse. Every day, more and more lights," Muffet was saying. "You're disrupting my moonbeams, and if I see one more gaudy, shapeshifting sign up there—"
"Gaudy! Madame! I think you mean fabulous and fantastic, and I would thank you to not pull them down any longer," Mettaton retorted. "Besides! Your drab little spider nest completely disrupts the good vibes I am so graciously putting out! So tasteless!"
"Oh? Well." The lady's eyes narrowed, but her smile grew, showing bright fangs. "Fufufu… I suppose there really is no accounting for taste, now, is there, dear?"
The other monster unwittingly gulped.
.
Chara pointedly cleared her throat again. "Hey. Howdy."
Both monsters whipped around. Mettaton's bright pink eyes rolled over like a slot machine into hearts before shifting back as he grinned.
"If it isn't Princess Chara Dreemurr!" he said, sweeping an arm out and bowing deeply.
Chara grimaced, cheeks flushing, and she waved her hands at him. "Tone it down!"
"Ah. Nice to see you, dearie," Muffet said, her eyes darting to the others just behind her. "And your… My, are those baphomets?"
"Baphowhat?" Asriel repeated quietly.
Frisk could only shrug. She took a half-step behind her brother and began to quietly take photos again.
.
"How can I, the marvellous, mystical Mettaton, help you, my dear saviour of the world?" Mettaton said, straightening up.
"Well, uh…" Chara hesitated. Her eyes darted over to his large, flashy building. "…Since when are you doing dream magic, for one?"
"Hah! You're joking? Forever!" He gestured widely to MTT'S DREAMLAND, his eyes shifting to stars. "From the day our wonderful Archwizard gave me a body, I've been casting songs and inspiration out over the land, dancing for the crowds…! I've always been doing dream magic."
Muffet rolled all of her eyes as Chara's mouth formed a thin, unamused line.
"Right…" she said.
"If you have need of a proper oneiromancer…" Muffet said, gesturing the Dreamcatcher.
"Shush, you fiend!" Mettaton said, pushing her aside. "Don't steal my customers!"
The spider scoffed. She raised a hand to Chara, waving with just her fingers, and headed back across the street. "See you soon, dearie."
.
Mettaton pouted, but switched to a grin, peering down at Chara. "Come on, Princess, tell me what you need?"
"I need you to stop calling me Princess so loudly, it makes people ask too many questions," she said.
"Ah. But you should be proud! To be Chara Dreemurr, reborn in—!"
"I keep saying," Chara said with a frown, "I'm not her."
"And yet you have the same name and you're the spitting image of her! Curious." Mettaton winked. "Anyway! Come on. You can tell me. What do you need?"
"Not me." Chara turned to grab Frisk and pulled her forward. "This is Frisk. Her dreams are messed up. And it's really important to get them back to normal."
"Oh?! Hello there, cutie pie!" Mettaton bent down, smiling with a sympathetic tilt in his brows. "Are you having some scawy wittle nightmares, sweetie?"
Asriel instantly recoiled and grimaced, showing fang.
"Uh…" Frisk tilted her head. "It's more like… I'm supposed to be able to talk to my brothers in my dreams but there's something wrong and I'm not sure what."
"Oh. Oh! You're an oneironaut!" He scratched his cheek. "That's pretty rare, to be honest. I'm not sure I've ever dealt with that." He straightened up. "Well! There's a first time for everything!"
"Wait," Chara said, "if you don't know how to—"
"We can't risk this screwing with her head," Asriel said sternly.
"Don't worry one bit!" Mettaton assured them. "I've helped monsters from all over achieve their dreams, in their sleep and in the waking world! I'm positive whatever your strange problem is, I can take care of it with a bit of magic and—" He winked. "— some good old razzle-dazzle!"
.
Frisk tilted her head. Chara gave her the side-eye and Asriel frowned deeply.
"Well…" the blue kid said hesitantly.
"Oh, don't be afraid! I'm sure you'll love it!" he said. "Shall I book you in?!" A big list and a rhinestoned pink fountain pen appeared in his hands. "How's next month?"
"N-Next month?" she squeaked.
"Next month?!" her brother echoed.
"Well, yes, I have the most popular business in the whole city! Nay, the whole Kingdom!" Mettaton said proudly. "I'm booked straight until… Oh! I can perhaps sneak you in two weeks from now, actually. Plus! You'll be getting the Friends with Chara Dreemurr discount! Five percent off!"
"Five?" Chara repeated, folding her arms.
"Oh, alright, ten." He winked. "But only because you're all so cute."
.
Chara sighed. She grabbed Frisk by the arm and began to pull her across the street. "We'll think about it."
"W-We kinda don't have that long to wait," Frisk said apologetically.
"Oh! Well! Understandable!" Mettaton called after them. He waved and turned to head into the gleaming DREAMLAND. "Send me a letter if you change your miiiiind!"
.
"Sorry to waste our time," Chara grumbled. She waved at Muffet, who was standing outside her Dreamcatcher, delicately sipping a tea.
"No, that's fine," Frisk said.
"I'm gonna assume Dreamcatcher does… dream stuff, too?" Asriel said as they got closer. "…Why would he set up right across the street?"
"Because despite that glossy, pretty exterior and all that flash, he's just a common ruffian," Muffet said. "I knew I'd see you here. What's your trouble?"
Chara pointed to Frisk. Before the kid said a word, the spider lady dropped down one hand running through Frisk's hair, fingers probing around her head as another touched on the back of her neck and a third pressed gently on her soul spot.
"Let me seeee…" After a few seconds, Muffet froze, as did the spider on her shoulder, both staring at the kid with wide eyes. "…What are you?"
"She's my sister," Asriel said quickly. "We're, um… We both have weird souls. See?" He put his hand to his chest and let the red beam up and and out.
.
Muffet released the blue kid and straightened up, looking at Asriel's soul closely. "Oh ho… I do see," she said. "Is your trouble related?"
"It, um, might be? I'm not sure," Frisk said. "I'm trying to reach our other brothers. In my dreams. Usually I can, but now I can't. They're pretty far away but I dunno if that matters."
"Hmmm, it shouldn't," the spider said. "Is the problem with you, or with them, I wonder?"
Frisk's cheeks flushed and her heart stuttered. She gulped. "E-Even… if it's with one of them, it wouldn't be both, right? No way P… There's no way one of them would be weird like this."
"If you're certain, dearie," Muffet said. She tilted her head. "I may be able to help. I have an opening tomorrow, if you'd like."
Asriel tilted his head. Chara smiled slightly, but she held out her hand.
"Prices?" she asked.
"Fufufu… Of course." The spider pulled a folded, stiff sheet from a pocket in her robes and passed it to her. She glided back towards the door to her shop, sliding it open to slip into the murky hallway beyond. "Think about it, won't you?"
.
The kids waved at her and Chara opened the pamphlet as they began to walk again. She almost choked.
"What?" Asriel asked.
"There's no way…!" She showed the two of them the sheet.
It was a list of services, each one with an astronomical price point. A simple cup of tea was listed at five hundred gold.
"Holy crap," Asriel said.
"Yeah, jeez," Frisk said. "Either she's really good or—"
"She's fleecing us," the boy said with a grin.
Frisk snickered. She looked at the sheet again. "Yeah, I don't think both of us together could get even just the short session."
"And the one you probably need, that's like half a year of Sans's salary," Chara said with a pout.
Frisk put a hand to her snout. "Oh dang."
"That's insane," Asriel said. "But… I guess somebody must be paying for it."
"Messing with dreams used to be just like, the upper-class's pastime," Chara said. "Kinda why most of these are here. I guess… once the Inner Circle opened, Mettaton set up here, too. Y'know, for tourists, looks like."
"You said there're other places, right?" Frisk asked worriedly.
"Yeah," Chara said. "Don't worry. Blackberry next?"
"Guess so," Asriel said, ears drooping. "Is it far?"
Chara shook her head. "Not much."
.
Blackberry Street was a couple minutes away, down a smaller, much quieter path that was mostly sidewalk. They found the address listed for another oneiromancer, but the shop was closed. Whoever the owner was, they were on vacation at the Mirror Lakes for another week and a half, according to a sign taped to the inside window of the door.
.
Nettle Path was the final street to check. That one, too, was a bust. A notice posted on a board in the store's garden said that it was only open on the tenth day of every month at eight o'clock at night. Useless.
.
All wasn't lost, though. There were magic map boards at intersections near parks, and Chara tracked one down and wrote in their query. There was one more place purporting to specialize in dream magic in the Inner Circle, and then another one not too far away in a food district of New Home proper, though neither had a great rating. Chara left it up to Frisk, since it was her dreams that were to be messed with. The kid agreed without hesitation.
.
The last place they checked in the Inner Circle was gone. It had been replaced by a cactus shop around the time the old King was ousted.
.
New Home was next. Chara lead them to the massive wall that surround the Inner Circle, to a guarded portal that zapped them just to the other side into an even busier, sprawling city. This part, though, did look pretty similar to the New Home that Frisk and Asriel were more familiar with.
.
They paused to grab snacks at one of the cafés near their destination, and then slipped down the small, dim Mugwort Road that branched off from the main street. The place they found was a little hole-in-the-wall squished between a magical tattoo parlour and a used book store that only sold tomes starting with the letter Y. An awning above the store said dreamweaver in a generic script font. Magic writing in neon purple, yellow, and white letters glimmered across the windows, touting dream readings, psychic consultations, crystal charging, and, in all capital letters, MORE. Images of crescent moons and stars bobbed in the corners and framed the words: THE MAGNIFICENT PASITHEA! It almost looked like Mettaton had ripped her off.
.
Chara put her hand on her hips and narrowed her eyes, looking the place up and down with disdain. Asriel folded his arms.
"You sure?" he said.
"It's the last one in the city," she said. She cut her eyes at Frisk. "If you think it's horrible, we don't have to go."
"I dunno that we have another choice, right?" Frisk said. She tilted her head. "I guess it looks… okay?"
"Does it, though?" Chara asked in a high, incredulous voice.
"Why, what's wrong with it?" Asriel asked.
The girl scrunched up her face. "I just don't trust any place with a sign like this." She gestured to the twinkling letters. "Unless it's a pub, it's usually a scam."
"But Mettaton had stuff like that," Asriel said.
"Yeah. Exactly."
"Oh." The boy laughed. "Okay. Fair."
Frisk snickered. She rubbed her head. "Let's at least give it a shot. If it stinks, we can just sneak out."
"Fine," Chara said. "Just… be cautious."
.
Frisk opened the door and was greeted with the sound of a faint chime. The inside was a cramped mess of dangly decorations lit mostly by candles in cheap, battered holders and a few glowing baubles floating here and there. The wall across from the door looked more like a wooden screen, with a gap like a doorway in it blocked with a billowy, dark cloth and strings of beads. The windows were blacked out with thick curtains, and celestial charms and dim, flickering purple fairy lights hung down in front of them. A shelf packed full of weird artefacts was the main feature of the room, only half-succeeding in hiding a big splatter of blue paint on an otherwise dramatic, mauve wall.
.
"Hello?" Frisk called as Chara made a beeline for the shelf. "Anyone here? I'd, um, like some help with some dream stuff?"
There was no answer. Asriel and Frisk shared a look and both of them shrugged. A faint, hollow thump drew them Chara's way. She had a scary, bat-like totem turned over in her hand. Though it was painted to look like gold, the underside showed that it was clearly wooden.
"Ugh, don't buy any of this stuff, okay? At least not for magic," Chara said quietly. She turned to Asriel. "You either, fuzzball."
"I wasn't gonna!" he protested quietly.
Frisk snickered. Her ears perked to the rattle of beads, as did Asriel's. They turned around just in time to see the curtain between the walls billowing. Someone cleared their throat.
.
With a burst of glitter, a dark, blue-grey monster leapt out, clunking on the wooden floor, holding out a cloak like batwings.
"Greetings, patrons! And welcome to dreamweaver!" the monster said in an intensely theatrical tone. "I! Am the Magnificent Pasithea! Pesanta extraordinaire! Here for all your dream and mysterious magical needs!"
.
As she flourished her cloak then let it drop to her sides, beads on her wrists and neck rattling faintly, the monster that was revealed looked to be slightly coyote-like, but with feathers in place of fur. The ones on the top of her head were edged with a stormy blurple and the longer ones were tied back into a ponytail. She had big, tattered ears shaped like a greyhound's and wide, youthful-looking purple eyes. There was some black facepaint smeared in streaks over each each eye in a vertical line.
.
"Um. Hi there," Frisk said. "We're—"
"Ah! Don't say a word! Let me guess!" The Magnificent Pasithea waved her sharp, paint-stained talons around, taking a step forward that clomped loudly, and she slid up to Asriel. She was about a foot shorter than he was. "You're heeeeere for… some advice! Yes! About…? A relationship…? A cute relationship?"
"Uh. No," Asriel said.
"Then…! Help with a spell?" She flowed towards Frisk. "Help with studies? Help with…?" Her words dried up when her eyes settled on Chara, whose arms were folded and honey-coloured eyes were gleaming with disapproval. "Ah. I'm getting ahead of myself of course! Would you like a reading? That is why most people come to see me, of course!" She gestured back to the curtain she had appeared from.
"If you can guess which one of us needs it," the girl said with a smirk.
"Chara, come on," Frisk said, smiling faintly. She reached up and gently put a paw on the monster's arm. "It's me. I need some help."
"Oh!" Pasithea whirled on Frisk. "So small! I'm not sure I've ever done a reading on someone so young…"
"Ah, if it's not in your skillset, we can go," Chara said.
"No! No no, that's absolutely fine," the monster assured them swiftly. "Come!"
.
Pasithea ushered the kids into the back room, where a round table draped in a wine and gold tablecloth held a large crystal ball in an overly flowery stand. The floor was entirely soft carpet, including one directly under the table that was round and patterned to evoke a magic circle. She pulled out four ornate, cushioned seats and placed them evenly around the table, humming to herself, feathered tail swishing. She left a couple paw marks on the edges of them in smeared black paint, but she didn't seem to notice.
.
"Take a seat, dear patrons," she said. "And tell me, what is it you're looking for today?"
Chara smirked. "Shouldn't you know—?"
Frisk gently elbowed her and the other girl held in her ire for the moment.
"We don't need any psychic stuff," Asriel said, wiping some of the paint off on his sleeve before he sat down. "We're looking for some dream fixing."
"Oh?!" Pasithea's eyes lit up. "How exciting! Most people come here for affairs of the heart or wealth or…" She paused and cleared her throat. "Though I have many specialties, dream magic is my most special of specialties! What seems to be the problem?"
.
"Well," Frisk said as she hopped up onto a chair, "it's… complicated. Um. I… can usually talk to my brothers in dreams, but some weird stuff happened and now it's not really working."
"You can…? WHAT?!" Pasithea barked, her accent dropping for just an instant. She coughed into her fist. "What a surprise! Th-That is a rare and unusual power, little friend! But it's…?"
"It's busted," Asriel said. "We're really far from our brothers. And we need to talk to them, pretty urgently. There isn't, like, another practical way to do it."
The pesanta looked bemused.
"They can't just send a letter. Their family isn't in the Kingdom," Chara said, coming closer.
"Aah, I see, I seeeee." Pasithea flared out her cloak, revealing one of her legs to be a grey metal up to the knee. She sat down and tented her fingers. "Can you explain what's changed? And don't leave out anything."
.
Frisk's eyes went wide. She looked at Asriel and he grimaced. He gave a little shrug.
"Well. Um," Frisk said. "We have two brothers. One of them got really, really sick. We had to leave home to fix what was wrong. But once we did, we got attacked by a really strong guy and me and…" She gestured to Asriel. "We got separated. Ever since then, I got attacked by like ten different things and I got sent to weird other places and I keep getting scared pretty bad and—"
"Wait, what's attacking you?!" Pasithea demanded. "Did you call the guards?!"
"It's, um… It's complicated," Frisk said quietly.
"It wasn't in the Kingdom," Chara said, finally taking a seat.
"Ahem. Of course. If your brother was ill, could it not be that he is the weak link in the chain?" the pesanta wondered.
"We thought about that," Frisk said. "My connection with him is the strongest, but barely. And our other brother, there's no way he's sick like this, too. I should be able to link to him, no problem, but I can't."
"And… you?" Pasithea looked at Asriel curiously.
His eyes went wide. "I didn't say I could do it, too."
"Aren't you siblings?" she asked.
The boy smiled sideways. "Yeah. Actually, it's true, I've been having the same problem. But her links are stronger. So it's better to focus on her."
.
"I seeee, I see, I see." The dark monster got to her feet and prowled around the table, putting her hands on either side of Frisk's head. She hummed and hawed for a moment before pulling back. Her eyes went wide and she rubbed the kid's head with her sleeve. She hurried to a small chest in the corner, wiping her fingers on a cloth, and pulled out a flask of crystal clear liquid that radiated its own light. "Could it…? Could it be, perhaps, that your sleep is just too troubled?"
"Probably not," Chara said. "Worse nights bring these dreams more into focus, yeah?"
"Right," Frisk said.
"Hm?! Really?! That's weird." Pasithea grabbed up another bottle, similar to the first, with a liquid that looked like chocolate milk within. "Well! Alright Here is my first suggestion, dear patrons." She turned to the kids and offered the potions. "The brown gives nightmares, while the clear grants a blissful rest. You could try one, and then the other once you awaken. To see if either extremity might work."
"Supercharge nightmares, huh?" Asriel said with a wince.
"Whatever, I'll try anything," Frisk said quickly. "As long as it's not, like, Dreamcatcher prices."
"Ah! Hah. No. Noooowhere close," Pasithea said under her breath.
.
Chara cracked a smile. "That's reassuring. That's not all you can do, is it?"
"Chara," Frisk scolded.
"I just mean, you said you're an expert at dream magic, yeah?" the girl insisted. "Can you see if something's blocking her? Maybe… some event? Or some magic?"
"I… Of course I can!" Paisthea said brightly. "I am very powerful, you know! I am the direct descendant of a long line of sun dogs, in fact. Let's begin." She raised her hands up, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before peeking back at them. "Oh. It's a flat rate, by the way, very affordable."
"Do it," Frisk said.
The pesanta nodded. She closed her eyes again and raised her hands up, then, with an exhale of breath, lowered them, dropping the light lower with the movement. "Just relax. Be perfectly calm."
.
Frisk already was. She didn't feel even slightly anxious. She sat still in her seat as the Magnificent Pasithea circled the table with a prowling, rocking walk, making a chachachachacha sound. Chara couldn't help an amused smile, leaning forward with her elbows on the table and rolling her eyes. Frisk smiled and shook her head.
.
The monster put some purple and gold beads into hollow nut, then shook it over each of their heads before gently tapping Frisk on the forehead with it. She waved around some leafy plants, a baton of crystal, and some marble in the same way, making a different sound effect for each one as she did. Once she was done, she lit an incense that smelled like lavender and vanilla off a small, blue flame on her thumb and sat it in the centre of the table beside the crystal ball. The fragrance smoke took on a glimmering purple hue. Asriel wrinkled his nose and Frisk shot him a worried look, but he shook his head.
"S'fine," he said under his breath.
.
Finally, Pasithea put all the things she'd shaken into a soft bag that looked to be the same material as the tablecloth. She handed it to Frisk and then stood behind her, holding the kid's head again in both hands. For the first time, the kid felt the pesanta's magic pleasantly seep through her head. The sensation was fairly quick, though. Pasithea pulled back, wide-eyed, and stared at Frisk blankly for a few seconds.
"Um." She puffed herself up. "Right! Alright! The spell is almost prepared," she said.
"Almost?" Chara asked.
"It…! It seems like this may be a little more complicated than I thought, initially!" she asserted. "But! No matter! Come. What was your name, little one?"
"Frisk," Frisk said.
"Frisk! Of course." She circled across to her chair and sat down, placing both hands on her crystal ball. "Join me."
Frisk had to sit on her knees to reach, but she put both hands against the crystal. Purple, the same as Pasithea's eyes, wafted inwards like the smoke of the incense until it touched against Frisk's fingers. A little red joined it and the pesanta went stiff. Her jaw fell open.
"…What?" She drew in a sharp breath as the red encroached on her. "…What?! WHAT?!"
"What?!" Frisk yelped.
.
Pasithea jerked back quickly, her eyes wide. She sat there with her jaw hanging open as the smoke faded from her crystal.
"Um." Frisk tilted her head. "What…?"
"Are you okay?" Asriel asked. He waved his hand in front of her face.
The monster hardly moved. She looked sweaty; her pupils shrunk down to pinpricks. "I…" Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "What the hell? What the hell?!"
"…Did you see something?" Chara asked.
"Darkness."
Chara raised a brow. "Darkness."
.
Pasithea shook her head quickly as if to get water out of her ears. She straightened up and nodded solemnly. "O-Oh. Yes. Yes, there's a lot to do," she said quickly. She turned to Frisk with a very serious face. "A shadow blocks you."
"A shadow?" Frisk asked curiously. "Like the void?"
"A sssshadow," the pesanta repeated, a warble in her voice. She got up quickly. "Alright! I know exactly what to do!" She pointed to the bag Frisk held. "Go back home and sleep with that under your pillow for two days, then come back to see me! Then the spell will be ready!" She gestured and a puff of glitter burst from her sleeve and littered the table. "No payment until it is complete!"
"Oh?" Chara's brows raised. "Alright."
"You're sure?" Frisk asked.
"Very sure!" Pasithea announced. "Please! Go home now, and get some rest! And we will finish up, and I'm sure I'll be able to remove what plagues you!" She beckoned them towards the door. "Oh! Also, don't forget, I charge specialty crystals up to maximum for a small fee as well!"
.
Frisk left coins for the potions anyway and the pesanta guided them out with a big smile on her face. It didn't really hide how rattled she seemed, though, and she quickly ducked back inside and closed the door behind her tightly.
.
"Well. That was… better than nothing, I guess," Chara said.
"Kinda." Frisk gently tossed and caught the bag she'd been given. "Two days, huh?"
"Could be worse," Asriel said. "…What do you think she saw? The void, for real?"
"She seemed pretty spooked," Frisk said, ears drooping.
"I'd be surprised if she really saw anything, to be honest," Chara said with a shrug.
"I dunno," the blue kid said with a hint of worry in her tone. "She didn't seem like that good of an actor."
"True." Chara shrugged. "Welp. Whatever. If it is something from the void messing with your dreams, I don't know if she can do anything, but hey, I've been wrong a few times today."
Asriel laughed. He brushed some glitter out of Frisk's hair. "I guess let's go meet up with Paps, huh?"
"Yeah," Chara agreed. She stretched and began to walk. "Hungry."
"You just ate," Asriel said, joining her.
"You don't even care, don't give me a hard time."
He snickered and elbowed her, and she elbowed him back much harder.
.
Frisk snorted a laugh. She was about to join them, a small clunk behind her drew her attention. All she saw was a dark arm reaching into the door of the shop to place a "We're CLOSED" sign. The neon lights faded down, leaving the windows a deep, black void of nothing. Without them, Frisk could see was her own unfamiliar reflection, especially her own big, red eyes staring back at her. She rolled her fingers and then turned on her heel to join the others as quickly as she could.