~Faye~
Faye was very happy when she found out Toriel's house was really nice. It had a pale wood floor, a staircase leading down somewhere and wood walls. It was like Faye's aunt's house. Now Faye missed her aunt. Oh well, at least she had her friends.
Toriel was standing in front of the staircase, beaming. "Surprise! Do you smell that?"
"Yeaaahhh, somethin' smells gooooood," Brayden replied, drooling.
"Is that pie?" Cody asked.
"It is, my child," Toriel replied, nodding. "It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you all to have a nice time living here. So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight."
"Snail pie?" Melody cringed. "Who would want to eat that?"
"I would!" Brayden crossed his arms.
Faye had to wonder where his taste buds come from. Then again, who knew, maybe snail pie would taste good...
"Living here?" Clover asked Toriel, folding her arms. "Don't you mean showin' us how to leave here?"
Toriel sweatbeaded. "Erm, how about you children have your pie now? I need to prepare your room, anyway."
She led the kids to the left. Clover narrowed her eyes. Faye grinned. She liked pie.
The room to the left was large with a wooden floor and pale walls. There was a fireplace, a bookshelf with old books (Percy walked right over to it), a large armchair and a fireplace. A brown table was near the corner of the room. It was surrounded by chairs. Plates holding pie were sitting on the table, letting off steam.
"Here we are." Toriel said, pointing at the table.
"Awesome!" Brayden slipped into his chair.
"This isn't poisoned," Clover said, eyeing Toriel. "Is it?"
"Oh, goodness no," Toriel shook her head.
"Hmmm…" Frisk took a little nibble of their pie. "Yep, I think it's good."
Faye beamed. She wanted to hug Toriel so bad…
And so, the kids sat around the table. Melody was trying to get Brayden not to be so messy while he was eating. Cody was asking Toriel about the recipe. Percy was reading a book he'd found on the shelf. Clover was eyeing her pie. Aside from their previous nibble, Faye noticed Frisk hadn't touched their pie.
"You're not hungry?" she asked them.
Frisk shook their head. "I'll save it for later."
Frisk put their pie in their pockets.
"I'm not hungry either…" Faye admitted. She put her pie in her pockets as well. "I don't get hungry much…"
"Ohhh this is AMAZING!" Brayden yelled, chowing down on his pie.
"Brayden, calm down!" Melody grabbed his arm.
"Toriel said the recipe requires quite a lot of butter," Cody mused, tapping his chin. "That's okay - I think there's butter at home."
"Okay, this is actually darn swell," Clover commented, finishing her pie.
"Interesting," Percy mused, reading a book. "According to this book, humans attacked monsters. They retreated underground, eventually arriving at a cavern. There, they built a town: Home, named by the king. Apparently he stinks at names. I presume that city we saw is Home - or was Home."
"Humans attacked monsters?" Clover asked, looking up. "What was that war all about, anyway?"
Faye noticed Frisk suddenly seemed oddly interested in their plate.
Percy took out his notes. "On most sources on the surface, recordings say that monsters tried to take our SOULs - as they give them great power. We fought to protect ourselves and sealed monsters underground with a magic spell."
"But what about the monsters?" Faye asked, biting her lip. "Are they really that mean?"
"Yeah, I think monsters are nice - if we just give them a chance," Cody agreed.
"Humans seemed to glorify themselves, according to these papers," Percy adjusted his glasses.
"Typical humans," Melody grunted.
"I have no idea what you're saying." Brayden commented, looking confused. He stared at Percy's pie. "Hey, Nerd Boy, you haven't eaten your pie. Can I have it?"
Percy nodded. Brayden grinned and took it.
Faye thought about monsterkind. Why did the war happen? Why were humans so mean? Or were monsters mean? Now she was tired.
She turned to Frisk. "Frisk… what do you think of all this war stuff?"
"Huh?" Frisk shrugged. "Well, it's probably not that important… it was ages ago, after all. But I don't think monsters are all that bad, huh?"
Faye nodded. They seemed… okay, so far.
Toriel led the children to a bedroom in a hall (after Cody checked out the kitchen and Percy got more books). Toriel noted Cody's love of cooking and Percy's love of books.
"You must be an avid reader, my child," Toriel told Percy. "I will find more books for you to read."
Percy adjusted his glasses, nodding.
Faye yawned. Finally, she'd get some sleep…
The bedroom Toriel gave the kids was rather small. It had a red colour scheme: red carpet, red bed, red chests and wardrobes, toys, lamps, a drawing on the wall and red shoes.
The only thing that wasn't red was a large, blue bed in the corner. And a bunch of sleeping bags on the floor. It was a pretty kiddish room; it must've belonged to a child beforehand.
The only thing that stood out was a poster on the wall of some kind of Angel-like being, that for some reason, reminded Faye of Frisk.
"I apologize for the slight mess," Toriel said, gesturing to the room. "I moved my bed in here so some of you can share it. There are also sleeping beds for those of you who are okay with sleeping on the floor, and my armchair."
"I'm okay with sleeping on the floor." Cody said, making a small smile.
"I don't mind." Faye replied, also grinning.
"Me neither," Frisk nodded.
"I BAGS THIS BED!" Brayden yelled, jumping into the little red bed.
"I'll sleep on the floor." Percy spoke up quickly, clutching his notes. He moved away from the girls, staying in the corner.
Melody and Clover eyed each other.
"You're not taking your pistol into the bed." Melody told Clover, folding her arms.
"Why not?" Clover asked, cocking her head. "You're wearin' your flip flops."
"They're ballet slippers!" Melody snapped. "And I don't wear my shoes to bed, thank you very much."
"Get a life, would ya?" Clover rolled her eyes.
Melody bristled. "Excuse me-"
"Now, now," Toriel spoke calmly. "How about I read you all a bedtime story to help you sleep?"
Faye perked up. Her aunt always told great stories - and so did her parents. They made the world a little cooler.
"Seriously?!" Brayden asked, punching the pillow. "Bedtime stories are for babies!"
"I like bedtime stories." Faye said quietly, frowning.
"I don't mind a story every now and again." Melody agreed. She sat on the blue bed; Clover sat next to her. "One would be nice."
"I love bedtime stories!" Cody gasped. He grinned at Clover. "Remember Mom used to tell them?"
"Yeah," Clover adjusted her cowboy hat, looking away. "I remember."
"I prefer to read manga before bed," Percy said.
"I don't mind," Frisk shrugged. "Whatever makes you guys happy is good with me!"
Faye grinned at Frisk. They were so understanding.
"Tell us a story, Ms. Toriel!" Cody spoke up brightly. "Please?"
"Yeah, do that," Clover agreed, making the blue bed comfortable.
All the kids aside from Brayden sat down on it and stared at Toriel with eager eyes (aside from Percy who was Percy).
"If Brayden wants to miss out, then I say let him," Clover said. "He can go to sleep."
"FINE, I WILL!" Brayden yelled, turning over and placing the pillow over his head.
Toriel chuckled. She pulled out an old book. Its cover was worn and the pages were starting to tear. Toriel put on her reading glasses. She smiled.
Faye leaned forward eagerly, ready to listen. She was a good listener. That's what people had told her.
"This is a story about the peaceful life of humans and monsters," Toriel began. "Once upon a time, there were two races: HUMANS and MONSTERS. One day, there was a great war between them. However, unlike in the story we know… there was a different ending."
Brayden looked over from his little bed. He gazed down at Faye. She smiled back at him. He leaned over, placing his head near hers.
Frisk reached out a hand, grabbing Faye's. Brayden glared at them.
"A BRAVE and KIND monster, instead of fighting the humans, reasoned with them," Toriel continued. "They convinced the humans to stop fighting as it was wrong."
"Wow, what a nice monster…" Faye commented, looking happy.
"However, there was one human who was DETERMINED to destroy monsterkind," Toriel continued. "They killed everything in their path. They could not be stopped, even by their own people."
"That's awful!" Cody exclaimed.
"What a mean person." Faye commented.
"I hope they got destroyed." Clover agreed, glaring at the ceiling.
Frisk had gone strangely silent. Brayden came over and sat next to Faye. She smiled at him as he placed his arm around her shoulder. Melody sighed, deeply.
"The monster heard about this human," Toriel went on, adjusting her glasses. "They knew the human was only scared and they needed a friend to guide them. So they approached this human. The human, aggressive, of course wanted to fight this monster."
"Oh no!" Cody hugged his sister. "They didn't die, did they?!"
"That would be sad…" Faye commented, looking away.
"A great hero," Brayden agreed, dramatically pointing his fist at the ceiling. "True courage was shown."
"Now you're into this?" Melody asked him, raising her brow. "A few seconds ago and you were saying bedtime stories are for 'babies'."
"Some are good!" Brayden retorted, blowing a raspberry at her.
"Ah, do not fear, my children," Toriel said, grinning. "For the monster was DETERMINED as well. Not in the ways of evil, but in the ways of PACIFISM. With their words, their actions, their KINDNESS… they were able to convince the human to stop killing. The human, from there on, spared every monster they encountered. Thanks to this monster, the war was over. Humans and monsters lived in peace, happily ever after."
She closed the book. "And that, my children, is why you should SPARE all monsters you encounter - it will reward you beyond anything GOLD can afford."
Cody sniffled, while Frisk applauded. "Aw, I loved that!"
"The moral was good, too," Melody commented, looking satisfied. "MERCY will bring peace."
"I guess that was alllriiiggghhttt for a bedtime story." Brayden snorted, grinning to himself.
"I am glad you children enjoyed it," Toriel said, standing up. Her eyes were tender. "Now, time for bed."
Everyone climbed into their beds. Faye got into her sleeping bed, which was near Brayden's bed. Frisk got closer to Faye. Cody looked fine in his sleeping bag. So did Percy.
Clover and Melody were eyeing each other as they shared Toriel's bed. Clover got rid of her gun and Melody took her ballet shoes off to make it fair.
"Good night, my children," Toriel told the children, turning the lamp off.
"Night!" Brayden yelled, instantly falling asleep.
"Goodnight, Toriel!" Cody replied. He smiled. "Goodnight, guys!"
"Night, bro," Clover replied. She scowled. "Melody, get your leg off my butt."
"Well take your cowboy hat off!" Melody snapped back.
"The hat does not come off." Clover replied darkly. "The gun, alright, but the hat - we don't go there, pardner."
Melody rolled her eyes.
"Goodnight." Percy said. He pulled out a little flashlight and started reading a book.
"Goodnight!" Frisk waved. They smiled at Faye, who returned it.
"Goodnight." Toriel repeated, leaving the room. She closed the door.
There were a few moments of silence.
Frisk and Faye got closer. Brayden suddenly shot out of bed.
"HEYYY!" he jumped between them, his fist in front of Frisk's face. "YOU-"
"Brayden," Melody snapped, pulling him back. "Enough. It's late. We're all tired."
Brayden glared at her. "But…"
Faye felt her heart jump as he eyed her. Did she do something wrong?
"Alright, y'all," Clover sat up. "Listen up. As nice as this place is, we can't stay here."
"We can ask Toriel in the morning," Cody suggested. "She's really nice. I'm sure she'll let us go." He made a face. "I hope."
Faye frowned. She didn't really want to leave. She liked it here. She liked Toriel. She hadn't felt this nice since her parents were…
"Yes, but we don't know if there even is an exit," Percy added, getting out his notepad. "And even if there is, what might we run into on the other side? Danger level is high."
"We've gotta take risks sometimes, pardner," Clover retorted, winking at him. "Unless ya wanna stay 'ere."
"Yeah," Frisk nodded. "Think positive!"
"Anyway, let's see what Toriel says tomorrow. I darn hope she lets us go peacefully, because I ain't stayin' here if she says otherwise," Clover clenched her fists. "I hate this place. I wanna go home."
"We all do, dimwit," Melody told her, voice shaking. "We all almost died today. Are we stuck here? We may never leave this place. I'm really scared." She wiped away a tear. "But I don't think we can give up."
"That's right!" Frisk stood up. "We're gonna get out of here, alive! Stay DETERMINED!"
"I think it'll be okay if we stick together," Cody spoke up. It sounded like he was crying. "We'll be okay. We just gotta stick together."
"Yep," Clover agreed, smiling herself. "If we stick together, we'll be fine." She paused. "Night, y'all."
She turned over and went to sleep.
Faye gazed at Brayden, then at Frisk. She sighed. She was holding back on tears. She didn't really want to leave this home. She faced it: her parents were never going to get better.
They would be in hospital no matter how long she waited. She could remember the day it happened…
Faye was at her grandmother's house, simply playing with the house cat. It was a boring Saturday afternoon, even though Faye could usually find something to entertain herself - even something as menial as dust bunnies.
Anyway, her mom and dad had to go to some adult meeting and her grandmother had to look after her, even though she was old and frail and etc. Faye would've gone to Brayden's house, but he'd gone away on a short holiday with his family. So here she was.
The day was pretty normal and boring. But peaceful, too. It didn't really feel like anything could go wrong - which, naturally, is when things go extremely wrong. Well, actually, things didn't go wrong. No.
Things went tragic and awful.
It all happened when some police showed up at Faye's grandmom's. They spoke to the grandmom about stuff Faye didn't really understand. But Granny didn't look too happy. Then the police turned to Faye. They kneeled down to her height and spoke in a friendly tone.
"Hey, sweetie," one policewoman spoke gently. "For a little while, you're going to be staying at your aunt's house in Ebott. Your parents are… they were…" She paused. "They're a bit… sick… and can't really take care of you for a while."
"Sick…?" Faye asked. She sounded small and confused. She couldn't really remember who her aunt was. She didn't know how her parents got sick. "Where are they?"
"In hospital," the policewoman replied, trying to sound calm. "They need to stay there until they get better."
"Can I stay there, too?" Faye asked. She wanted to cry.
"No, you can't stay in hospital, sweetie," the policewoman replied patiently. "You'll be staying at your aunt's. We'll take you there."
Faye cried like a little baby. She took her ribbon and toy knife, which her parents gave her before they went to hospital.
Then Faye begged the police to let her see her parents before they took her to her aunt's. The police allowed a short visit. Her parents were on those big beds, lots of tubes sticking out of them. They were wearing green garments.
"Why do they look like that?" Faye asked. She cried some more. "Mommy… Daddy…? Are you…" She overheard parts of a conversation from some other family members.
"Car crash…." one guy said. "Yeah, serious… here for a while…"
"They need them to get better, sweetie," the policewoman told Faye. She took her hand. "But don't give up on them - they will get better. You just need to wait. Now, c'mon - we should go to your aunt's."
Faye left her old home. She didn't speak to Brayden about what happened - she couldn't bring herself to. She just left without saying a word to anyone. She moved to her aunt's house and went to a new school. And once again, she was all alone.
She almost wanted to run away, just to finally find someone once more….
She couldn't wait forever, could she?
There was a mountain she could run to. Maybe there, she would find someone waiting for her.
Faye wondered how long she would have to wait for her parents. It seemed like an eternity since the car crash had happened. Life support, doctors, her aunt on the phone… before long, their time was going to run out.
Faye couldn't sleep. She was still waiting, but it felt pointless. They were never going to get better.
Maybe I should stay here with Toriel, she thought. Everyone else will go, but I'll stay here. Then… then I won't get in the way anymore.
Besides, she liked it here. Toriel was nice. This was a nice house. She liked the RUINS, too.
Toriel was the one who was waiting for me… it'll be the best if I stay here.
Suddenly, Faye heard a weird rustling noise. It zapped her back into reality. Brayden had somehow done a 90 degree turn and now his head was on Faye's sleeping bag. Faye thought it was kind of cute. She pet his hair. But he wasn't the rustling sound.
It was Frisk, rustling inside their sleeping bag. They emerged from the bag, face covered in sweat. They were panting. They took a few deep breaths to calm themself, and their eyes closed. Then they stood up and left the room.
Faye knew it wasn't very polite, but she snuck after them. They went down the hall and came to the room with the dining table. Toriel was sitting on an armchair, reading a book.
Faye hid behind the door frame and watched Frisk. They approached Toriel, their head bent down.
"Greetings, my child," Toriel greeted them. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"
"I guess…" Frisk shrugged.
"That is alright," Toriel beamed at them. "You may sit here until you feel sleepy."
"Thanks, Toriel," Frisk sat in the armchair next to her.
Toriel smiled at them. "I did not say this before, young one… but you look very similar to a child who fell down here long ago. When I first saw you, for a brief moment, I almost thought you…" She sighed.
"Toriel…" Frisk's hand shook. Their tone was calm but… almost scared.
Faye realised her thoughts immediately returned to the fallen angel poster she had seen in the bedroom.
The first human...
Toriel composed herself. "Regardless, it is wondrous to have you all here, my child. You are very different from that other human anyway. I'm sure we will live a happy life here. Now, would you like me to read you another bedtime story to help you sleep?"
"Sure," Frisk nodded.
Toriel smiled. She pulled out a book. "This is a story about a human who loved golden flowers…"
Faye listened to the whole story. She herself almost fell asleep - I mean, Frisk certainly fell asleep. Toriel chuckled and carried them back to the bedroom. She placed them into their sleeping bag and kissed the crown of their head. Then she noticed Faye, who was pretty much asleep in the hall.
"What are you doing out here, my child?" she asked. Faye yelped and woke up. "Are you having trouble sleeping as well?"
Toriel kneeled down, picked Faye up and carried her back into the bedroom as well. She placed her into the sleeping bag. Toriel had moved Brayden back into his bed so he wasn't sleeping on her anymore.
"Mommy," Faye spoke quietly, gazing up at Toriel. "Are we staying here forever, or are we gonna go home…?"
Toriel kissed Faye's forehead. "This is your home now, my child. Everything beyond the RUINS is dangerous. But I promise you you will be happy here."
"Okay, Mommy…" Faye replied, yawning. "Goodnight."
She closed her eyes and faded away into the world of dreams. She would be okay, staying here forever.
"How can I help you, my children?" Toriel asked, sitting on her armchair.
Everyone was awake now, being the following morning. Faye hadn't told Frisk she spied on them. That she would keep to herself. She hadn't told her friends she wanted to stay here permanently, either. Well, not yet, anyway.
"How do we exit the RUINS?" Clover asked Toriel, folding her arms.
"Erm… did you want to hear about the book I am reading?" Toriel asked, chuckling anxiously. "It is called, '72 Uses for Snails'. How about it?"
"How do we exit the RUINS?" Clover repeated, slower but more sternly.
"I'd like to hear about… um… seventy-two uses for snails!" Faye piped up quietly.
"I have an interest in all books, though I'm not really sure how one could come up with seventy-two uses for snails." Percy commented, almost intrigued.
"Ah, well, here is an exciting snail fact!" Toriel replied cheerfully, ignoring Clover's death glare. "Did you know that snails-"
"Blah blah, who cares?!" Brayden interrupted. He scowled. "Look Ms. Toriel, we wanna leave this place! So show us where the exit is!" Melody was staring at him. "Uh... please?"
"... I have to do something," Toriel replied. She stood up, removed her glasses and put the book away. "Stay here."
"Toriel," Frisk spoke up, in the same tone they had used the previous night.
Toriel flinched, but walked away, heading into the basement below. Frisk clenched their fists.
"We should follow her," they spoke up.
The others nodded… except for Cody, who whimpered.
"Should we really do this?" he asked, biting his lip. "I mean, Toriel-"
"D'ya wanna leave or not?" Clover asked, tilting her head.
"Obviously," Cody deadpanned. "I'm just saying she might hurt us. She looked pretty angry."
Brayden held up his fists. "Well she can bring it on."
Faye was very hesitant as the gang entered the basement. But she eventually crawled down the stairs, which led into the scary, purple basement. Toriel had a serious expression on her face.
"You all wish to return 'home', do you not?" she asked, sounding upset. "Ahead of us lies the end of the RUINS. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever able to leave. Now be good children and go upstairs."
She continued forward.
"Oh I don't think so." Clover retorted, chasing after Toriel.
The group followed, Faye very behind. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay with Toriel and be happy. But she never got her way.
"You naive children," Toriel spoke as the group approached. "If you leave the RUINS… they… ASGORE… will kill you. He declared he would destroy any human that fell down here. I am only protecting you all, do you understand? … go to your room."
She continued walking. Despite the risk, everyone followed.
"Do not try to stop me," Toriel warned as they all approached a dark hallway. "This is your final warning."
She kept walking. Faye couldn't really take this anymore.
She didn't want to leave. Her parents were never going to get better. She couldn't go back there and keep waiting. She wanted to stay here with Toriel forever and ever and live a nice happy life.
"Faye?" Frisk stopped, walking back to her.
Faye whimpered, gazing up at them. Her body trembled.
"Frisk, I… I don't want to go with you…" she squeaked. "I want to stay here with Toriel…" She tried not to cry. "If I come… I'll just get in the way… I always do… you can go on ahead. Don't worry about me… I'll…" She cried a little. "I'll be okay here."
"That's not true, Faye," Frisk put their hands on her shoulders. "You're the PATIENCE of this group… we need you."
"No, you don't…" Faye sniffled. "You're the patient one here, Frisk… they'll be fine if they've got you."
"You're everyone's friend, Faye," Frisk told her. "They want you to come out with us." Their grip grew tighter. "We care about you."
Faye's heart thumped. Her friends… cared for her? They wanted her there?
"What are you two doin' back here?" Clover asked, the rest of the group walking over.
"I… I wanna stay behind…" Faye sniffled. "Leave me here in the RUINS."
"What?" Brayden shoved past everyone else. He glared at Faye. "You're not staying here, FAYE! This is a group and we stick together no matter what!"
"Yeah!" Cody nodded. "We care about you, Faye!"
"I… I think I should…" Faye said sadly, looking away. "I-"
"NO!" Brayden yelled, interrupting her. "Staying here isn't gonna help anyone, Faye! You won't get in the way if you come with us - you'll get in the way if you stay here! You really wanna be stuck here forever?! What about your parents?!"
He faced everyone else. "GUYS! If we wanna have any chance of leaving this dump we need to stay together! We need to fight for our freedom as a team!"
"I…" Faye frowned. "I… I can't… fight anything… and I like it here… and my parents will never get better…"
"Yeah they will!" Brayden told her. "And if they don't, so what? You've got us! The whole surface is waiting for YOU!" He breathed out. "You're shy… but you ain't weak. You're my best friend." He paused. "How… how am I gonna survive this crap without you?"
"Um…" Faye didn't know what to say. She wanted to ask why Brayden never gave up on her. But her voice failed.
"LOOK, you're not staying here," Brayden continued. He sighed. "Y'know, I missed you when you left that old place ages ago. You didn't even say why… then I met you again at the new school and I was happy - but you were, like, super quiet and sad and kept beating yourself up about stuff. And now you wanna stay here 'cause of all that crap!?"
Faye looked down. Brayden grabbed her shoulders.
"You deserve better, Faye!" he told her. "I wanna help you feel better, okay? And we can't do that down here, we gotta go back home! We've gotta help each other get home, you get it?!"
Faye was sitting on the floor now, tears in her own eyes. Brayden felt his own eyes tearing up. The two best friends embraced each other, tightly. Faye buried her face into Brayden's shoulder, bunching up his tank top.
The others watched with a smile, Percy furiously scribbling in his notebook.
"Look, Faye," Melody sighed. "Don't worry about Brayden. He just really cares about you and wants you to come with us. But if you really want to stay here, then he can't stop you. It's your choice."
"Damn right, pardner," Clover nodded at Faye. "Yer a tough cookie. Think 'bout it."
"It's game over," Frisk told her, "or you stay DETERMINED and keep going. What do you choose?"
Faye smiled. "I… I think I'll come with you guys."