You limp after her. "Wait, Doll, don't go!"
She continues to storm off, ignoring your words.
Which looks oddly cute, somehow, with the way her many doll limbs move in a stompy wave.
Flowey sounds concerned from the phone. "Renko, what's wrong?"
"I accidentally turned a doll into a centipede."
A long silence fills the air. "How?"
"Heck if I know."
You soon catch up, finding the centidoll curled up in a coil of depression and self loathing. Well, or so you think; with the lack of facial expressions, it'd be hard to say for sure, but her eyes are downcast and she looks on the verge of tears.
You frown, knowing this to be your fault. "...I'm really sorry."
The doll looks up at you. It doesn't look pleased to see you, but it looks a bit less angry.
Probably.
Although, the fact that it has narrowed its eyes does make you think it is still a bit angry.
You kneel down in front on the doll, scooping her up under her arms.
Her top arms, at least.
Where did you get the rest from, anyways?
She looks at you oddly, or so you assume, what with how she narrowed an eye and tilted her head.
Of course, her eyes shoot open when you pull her into a hug. You smile down at her as she looks up at you in confusion, tears welling up in her eyes.
You smile down at her. "Don't worry, I'll make it all better!" You pat her head.
She stares.
You try to drag her along with you, adding, "J-just... need to... find someone... who can do it..."
She's so heavy now...
The weight of her hand-legs crawl on your back, clutching your blouse.
You awkwardly shift the weight in your arms, trying to carry the doll into a princess carry. Thankfully half her is already on your shoulders, or else-
And then you go flying!
You scream when you crash into the wall at high speeds. You think you felt something break.
0/22HP
Your consciousness begins to fade.
You feel determined to stay conscious.
-1DT
+1 MAX DT
7/13DT
The doll's eyes bore into you with their intensity.
You set your eyes on the doll from the ground, weakly sitting up, matching her gaze's intensity.
She twitches, before looking about and trying to rub her eyes.
Monstrous Hourai: Lv 6 -15DEF 75MDEF 150ATK 15MATK
Seems to be comprised of 15 dolls, though you know not why.
Seems to be growing...
You blink your eyes, rubbing them. That was more detailed than last time... ...And a lot higher, actually.
The doll soon shakes her head, glaring at you for that.
-1DT
You frown. There's no way you can hope to defeat her... You sniffle. You're gonna die here. You just wanted her to be your friend...
You wipe away the tears streaming down your cheeks. You're never going to see Mom again. Or Grandma and Grandpa... Or... Or...
...Wait, who was that last one...? You can't quite place it...
When you look up, the doll is eyeing you wearily, unsure what to do.
Not being dead fills you with determination!
Lv1
0/22HP
5/13DT
-1DT/turn
Save to refill Determination?
DT Restored!
-1DT
You blink. Wait, who was the last person?
Hourai stares.
It... starts with a... M, you think?
Hourai slowly undulates nearer.
M... M... Mo? Mi? Me? ...Ma.
She is growing near.
Ma... ...But what comes next?
Across the room, you hear your phone call out. "Renko! Why aren't you responding?! I heard you drop your phone! Is everything alright?"
The doll finds herself distracted by the voice calling out, stopping a moment.
Ri...?
"Seriously, is everything okay?"
You mutter, "Mari...?" Was that who?
The centipede's head snaps to you as you say that.
0/22HP
12/13DT
-1DT/turn
-1DT
You focus inwards.
"Seriously, Renko, what the heck happened?!"
The centidoll swivels its top torso towards the phone.
You wrack your brain, trying to remember. It's like a block is gone, but you can't quite grasp it. "Mari..."
The monstrous doll turns to you again.
Why can't you remember?
A swarm of bullets are fired from Hourai's hands. A very large swarm, from an equally large number of hands.
Your eyes fill with determination as you cry out the name, "Maribel, where are you!?"
You hear a yelp beside you. Looking, you find the girl in question rubbing her ear and giving you a dirty look.
It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming...
It's a great day for an adventure in the mountains.
"Sorry, Mari." You rub the back of your head. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
She lets out a long suffering sigh. "You did that just so you could ask, couldn't you?" You nod earnestly, earning a flat look. "...You know what, fine." She has a slightly troubled look on her face.
It's not the usual troubled look, either.
You know what to do... You need to...
Lv1
HP20/20
DT0/5
ou hug the taller girl from the side, smiling up at her. Before she can prepare herself, you suddenly peck her ear. "Pain, pain, go away..." Her face is a little redder. Not as Red as you'd like, but... "So, what's up, Mari."
She flinches. "No, nothing's up, honestly."
"Then why'd you flinch?"
You begin looking her over. When she looks to you to respond, she jumps, rubbing her eyes.
Maribel
You feel like you've forgotten something important...
"No reason..." She glances at you from the corner of her eye with mild worry.
You frown. "Mari, you know you're a terrible liar." Your friend simply sighs in response, and you can tell that she agrees. But, in that case, why is she even persisting? Something's not right... "Mari, please. Stop hiding it and come clean, or I'll have to take drastic measures."
"...Fine."
"Ohh? Then you'll tell me?"
"No."
...You're honestly not sure what to do with that. Just what sort of thing would she think your drastic measures are? "...Then give me a kiss instead."
Her face goes scarlet. "Why is everything kissing and hugging with you?"
You raise a brow. "Because I like doing those things."
She grumbles. "Fine. Do your worst." She squeezes her eyes shut, cowering.
...Dang it, now you feel like the bad guy. you grab her by the shoulders, jerking her towards you. She's trembling for crying out loud! "F-fine!"
Sadly, you didn't predict her head colliding with yours, so while you did kiss her, you also headbutted her, causing you both to fall on your butts, wincing.
Mari glares at you. "Renko, that isn't how you're supposed to kiss!"
"I know, I know!" You wince, rubbing your head. "I didn't think you'd be so loosie goosie like that, that's all... It's almost like you wanted it or something..."
Her face goes redder still, looking almost like a particularly cute beet.
You'll just ignore that oddly adorable mental image of a beet with Mari's face.
"Ihavenoideawhatyou'retalkingaboutshutup!" You're honestly a bit shocked her voice can go that high.
You wince, rubbing your ears. "Jeez, Mari, quit shouting!"
"Then stop saying stupid things like that!" She huffs, having averted her eyes. "Seriously, this girl..." She grumbles.
You sigh. "Maybe we should-"
You groan as you wake. That was a really weird dream. Still... how could you forget Mari?
Remembering Mari filled you with great Determination!
+5 Permanant MAX DT
You realize something is crushing you into the grass beneath you a bit. Looking to that something, you find a girl straddling your waist.
...You aren't sure what to feel about that.
Or that huge grin.
Or that knife.
Or that dead look in her eyes.
Or that knife.
"H-" In but a moment, she's gone, her eyebrows waggling the whole time. "-i." You're left thoroughly bothered by so many things involving this happening.
And then you aren't.
Sighing, you look around as you sit up, but find something heavy and concerningly strap-like on your chest. Looking down, you spot your dolly... Well, you aren't sure if calling her a friend is- Wait, why aren't you dead? Those bullet things looked freaking dangerous... Heck, you feel-
Wait...
You wiggle your ankle, wincing. Still painful...
You wiggle your waist a bit and do a crunch. "My ribs aren't broken, though..." You unbutton your top, peeking under the bandages. "And my puncture wounds are gone as well..."
...Were those friendliness bullets?
Wait, where are you? It's so dark...
Seems oddly familiar, and you think you see some light coming out of a side passage a ways away.
Lv1
HP20/20.2
DT10/10.8
You smile, realizing that the two of them were just trying to help you all along as you idly pet Hourai's hair. You're not sure when your hand reached for it, but it's silky... Very silky.
You pet her and pet her and pet and pet, pet, pet some more.
This is oddly addictive.
You feel the tiny head move in your hand, looking up to you. You smile. "Good morning."
You think you spy her lower lids raise in the dark, announcing her happy greeting to the world in the most subtle of ways. You consider if most might miss these subtle queues, but you like to think that you're very attentive and perceptive.
Many disagree, but still.
"Thanks for healing me." At her odd look, you ask, "Did you not...?" She shakes her head, earning her a frown and a flash of light.
...Okay, that's going to be useful for lightly your path.
Monstrous Hourai: Lv6 -47DEF 237MDEF ATK 474 MATK 47
Consists of 47 dolls.
The growing seems to have thankfully stopped for now.
You earn a glare for your troubles, which is returned with a blush.
Okay, yeah, you deserve that.
You decide to ḩ̢ưg̕ the monstrously adorable thing that you've made pout, petting her some more. "Sorry, I just seem to have an odd eye power or something, and I was curious.
She stiffens.
Which is difficult to get across, what with the lack of joints to lock or muscles to stiffen.
"What?"
She looks up at you probingly.
You decide to flash the darkness around you.
Flower Field lv2
There's something not quite right about these flowers...
How on Earth do flowers have a level...? Or maybe you're looking at it wrong...
...Wait, is it getting easier to see? I mean, already you were a little confused as to why you could tell what's going on while not being able to really see. You look down at yourself, flashing your eyes.
Renko's Chest Lv1 5DEF 5MDEF 0ATK 5MATK
A particularly full AA. Mostly consists of bone, making for an effective defense.
Sadly lacking in "offensive" ability due to this, though.
You grumble, not liking the quotations in that, and decide to do the same to your pockets.
Inventory Lv1 10Def 10MDEF 0ATK 0MATK
Pocket Knife Lv1 5ATK
-A small knife, more useful as a tool than a weapon.
Hand Mirror
-Rather handy.
Phone
-This thing looks ancient...
Smartphone
-Your trusty phone, full of numbers of people you know and riddles for the numbers of people you don't want getting out.
Hat Lv2 10DEF 10MDEF 5MATK
-One of your oldest possessions, given to you by your grandmother, who thought you'd make it look good some day. You were one slick 5 year-old.
Buttons
-Happy as can be.
Thread and Needle Lv7 ATK1
-Using this is always a bloody affair for you. So use it.
Well, at least your phone's in there.
You pull out the mirror, looking yourself over. Your eyes flash on their own, blinding you.
Okay, you should have expected that...
Renko Lv1 20DEF 20MDEF 5ATK 5MATK
A girl mostly consisting of hidden pockets and flirting. Easily upset, prone to hugging and bursting with confidence; those she will not flirt with are next to none.
You can't help but blush at that assessment, though you're still seeing yourself in the mirror; hopefully you didn't hurt yourself.
Rubbing your eyes a bit, you find you can see again to a degree. Looking to Hourai, you find her shaking with silent laughter, her lower lids raised in amusement and a hand over her mouth.
Making the doll you ruined laugh fills you with Determination!
+1 MAX DT
"So, uhh... Do you... want me to try and fix you...?"
The silent laughter stops.
"With help of course!"
She stares, her eyes narrowing.
"Your help."
She blinks, before tilting her head.
"Well, I want to make this right. I mean, I think you're still pretty like this, but if you want...?"
She looks shocked.
Or maybe that was just her eyes falling out.
As she pushes them back in, she looks to you. Her body language seems non-hostile, so you smile.
She shakes her head, surprisingly enough, and just gives your face a hug with a dozen arms.
This is mildly uncomfortable for many reasons, but you decide to just return it, though you do so lower, as effectively hugging your own face would be a little weird.
You stroke your chin, slowly leading it down your non-existent beard, before repeating the action a few times. "We need to figure out a way to talk. How about clapping?"
The doll gives you an odd look.
"In morse?"
The odd look dries out.
Still, she smacks her top two hands together regardless, teaching you that they aren't the best for clapping based simply on how quiet they are.
"Okay, dumb idea. How about One-blink two-blink?" The look she gives you sucks up its lost water, returning to odd. "Y'know, "One blink for yes, two for no"? We can even throw in three to get ready and four to go!"
She shakes her head, shaking with slight amusement.
"Well, we'll figure it out while we walk. Can you walk?"
She nods, but takes it a step further by floating like a Chinese dragon.
"Show off." Sighing, you rummage for your phone as you walk toward the all too familiar set of massive doors. "You know how to text?" You earn a tilt of her head, making you sigh again. "Okay, I'll try to teach you." Opening your phone, you ask, "Are you familiar with texting, first off?"
She shakes her head.
"Typing?"
Again, a negative.
"Writing."
She seems hesitant as she nods.
This gives you pause. "...Can you read the keyboard?"
She shakes her head in a negative.
You sigh again. flipping to the language settings, and try showing her English for starters, as it's the most probable.
She stares at it, looking quite curious, judging her how she's tapping her lip and tilting her head. She then nods, earning a smile from you, so you turn that one on, getting your translation app ready just in case, and place the phone before her. "Just hit the buttons you want with your fingers. It'll respond to your finger... prints."
...Crap.
"Okay, point to what you want and I'll hit it for you. Anyways, first question: can you understand me?" The answer comes quickly, and thankfully the translation software holds up. "Yes? Okay, good. And, next, why don't you want help?"
You slowly watch as the words fill the screen with every letter added. You have only a vague idea what it means, as you only know a very small amount of English.
When done, you press translate, and...
If I have to, I'm for you can do it yourself, you do not want such a thing. In addition, you can, because the seem to really like this form, I do not see any need.
...Dammit. "Oooookay, then, erm... Right, next question: what do you mean by, and I quote, "私がしなければならない場合、私はそれを自分で行うことができますのために私は、そのようなことを望んでいません。さらに、あなたは、このフォームを気に入っているように見えるので、私は必要性を全く見ません。"?" You hope she doesn't tease you too badly about English pronunciation...
The doll gives you the strangest look, before looking at the words she had you type oddly.
Good, she thinks it's weird, too. "Okay, next order of business: do you have a phone number?"
She begins typing, with your help. "no i don't."
...Huh. That actually works. "Alright."
You peek through the doors you had been idling by, and, sure enough, on the other side is the patch of flowers you met Flowey in.
Y̨̠̳͕̖̥o̼̙͈͕͖̖̺u͕͎̳ ̳̣̺͚͓͚͙͝h̠̜̪̟̦̮͜e̠̟̻̲̬a̰̙̫͍̦̝̪͜r̷̝͓̺ͅ ̳̘̗a̩̤͎͇̲͇ͅ ͎̘̺̺̼̜͕g̥͔̲̀i̭̠̘̦g̬̹̘͎͎g҉̮͎̘̻̟l̴̻̙̻e͎͎̪̦͓̮ ̴a̮s̳̼ ͉y̻̻̩ͅo̡͚͔u̲̳̫͔̟ ̱d͙̩̮̫̹̯o̸͕͕ͅ ̵̜͈̜s̻̩̱͍͔͇̞ó͈,҉ ̜͓̬͞ḁnd̺̩̩̕ ͎͞a̠͕̼̱ ̤̣̗͉͇̳̘v̺̰̘o̼̺̣̤̞i̠̞̳̝̫͖c̢̫e̹ ̥͚̰͍͉̪o̯͖̣͙͈͉͘n̝͚̰̗̻̰̩͝ ̶͈t̡h̕e̝̝ ̱̺̹́w̲̲̪̪̲̲̦̕i̗̳̖̦̠̩̗ṇ͓̪̤̤̰̫d͕̦̙̠͉͙͚,͓̳̮͔̲͍͕ ̸p̤̱̖̤͍͇ͅe͎͇͉̪̺͕r̷̫̣̠̯h̪a͎͢ps͇̻̭̠͜ ̫̪̻͎̼̱͟e̞͕̤̞v͎̩͙e͠n͔̖͔ t͏͉̤̞̦h̷̘͉̤͎̻̲̫è̖̻ ̹̥̠̼w͖͖̹̦̪͠i̮̫ͅͅn͟d͏̹̩͍ ̠͢i̮t̨̮͓ś̼̼̮͈̠̗e҉̲͔̙͕̼̣l͏̳̺͙̪f̬̪̞͕̤̭͔,̨ͅ ̰̟̖̼̥̯w̞͔͕͍̞̠͞hi̡s͈̤̺̤̙̘ͅp͠e̼̞ͅr̰͕ș̲́, ̙̪̯̰"̰̰Ỳ̟̜͕o̼̗̣͠u͚͈̙̱͘ͅ ̩̲̠̮̥t̖͎̯̰̱w̗o̮͈͎͙̩͜ ̟̩̤͎̼̝̹a҉r̩̟̤e͏̩̼̼͇ ̷̥͚̦̼̟j̜͇u҉̹̰̣͚̯s̶̯̟̩͇͕ͅt̮͈͓̜̦̳̩ ̘̰̬͖͓̫ͅt͏ò̭͔̩̝̝̻͔o͡ ̠̜͝a̴͔̞̙d̴̗͓̘̘̪̣o̫̲͎͈̞̟̯r̩͉͖͚̗̲͡a̙͔̳̦b͓͖̀l̻̩͉̜e̗̯̙.̸.."̺͖̤͍̮ͅ
Lv1
HP20/20.2
DT10/11.8
"Hey, Flowey, you out there?" You head up to the flower patch, checking for her.
Flowey Patch - Lv4 ATK0 MATK0 DEF0 MDEF0
There seems to be a Flowey Hatch hidden amongst the flower patch.
"Guess not." You continue on, deciding to ignore the hatch in lough of doing something contradictory.
As you head off, you grasp your breasts, always prepared for battle.
You have trouble doing so.
You grumble, stopping.
You swiftly solve puzzle after puzzle on your way back to where you were, and soon end up back where you left off.
Heading through the door, you... find a young girl in blue balancing a small, sharp-looking shard of ice on her finger tip.
The water in this room is frozen, and you can see your breath. Not only that, but you really freaking wish you wore a coat, at this point.
Or maybe a parka.
Or maybe just slathered yourself in blubber and ran on by.
It's so cold it burns
-1HP
You try to pass her, but you hear what sounds like a bullet ricocheting off the ground. Looking down, you find the ground- Whoa!
You fall on your rear.
The little bluenette suddenly hops to her feet, grinning. "Well, what have we here? Didn't think I'd see a monochrome fairy all the way down here!" ...Is that a thing?
Hourai frowns.
-1HP
"What are you, an idiot?"
Her smile grows cold. "What was that?"
Hourai looks up at you with concern.
"I said that I'm human, you stupid little-" You get launched back by what feels like a glacier smashing into your face.
-9HP
The little blue fairy floats into the air as everything begins to ice up.
You just got punted by a little girl!
-1 MAX DT
"Looks like I'll need to teach you that it's not about the size, but how you use it!"
Did she just...?
Lv1
9/20.2HP
9/10.8
-1HP/turn
-1HP
You give her a tense look. "You and I are sisters in arms. And chests."
She matches the intensity of your gaze, not budging one bit from the way you flashed her.
Cirno 99ATK 99MATK -99DEF -99MDEF
Seems to have lost all signs of life.
Lv1
HP8/20.2
DT9/10.8
You watch as Cirno's stiff body slowly melts into snow. As her body falls to pieces, you watch an arm fall off, only to explode into powdery whiteness upon impact with the ground. Not only that, but even her clothes are slowly turned to snow as you watch her flesh without and within wear away like it was rubbed down with sandpaper for hours in but an instant. Any semblance of the possibly chilling blood within, or even any trace, quickly is wiped away as it becomes snow as well. Every drop that hits the ground, every drip or splatter from her ruined flesh, and indeed, every ounce of her body as a whole, soon becomes that same white powder.
You are left staring at a pile of snow as the room around you rapidly thaws, nothing left of the icy girl that once was. Nothing recognizable, at least.
Not one hair, nor her perhaps overconfident smile, though you do spot a stick in the pile. You pocket it, not sure how to feel about doing so, but feeling as if you want something to remember her by, one way or the other.
Did... you just kill her with your eyes?
Did you just... did you kill a little girl just now?
Sure she hurt you, but...
...You don't know what to say.
The sight of the pile of snow fills you with Determination.
But why?
Tears cascade down your cheeks as you look upon the rapidly melting dusty whiteness.
You feel confused. Why is the ice all melting? That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works!
In your confusion, you look at the stick, hoping for answers.
Unidentified Stick Lv9 0DEF 5MDEF 1ATK 5MATK
You feel as if you could figure out its function if you use your eyes more.
Use them more? Seriously? Can you ever use them again after you did this?
Of the things you know, it's the most likely cause of her death; breasts don't kill people, no matter how fragile. Maybe make them do it for you, but at your size? You're hardly bigger than her.
Arms clamp around your face. You feel for the cause, finding it to be the hanged doll you forgot you were holding against you.
Surprise, surprise, she broke free of your grasp, or at least you think she did.
Maybe you just dropped her out of shock.
She looks worried, her slight narrowed eyes being your only clue. Although, you note that her lower lids are more narrowed than her top.
Her arms are open, obviously offering a stiff, chilly embrace, what with the room being cold.
0 Exp Gained
0G Gained
Determination refilled!
Save?
Lv1
HP8/20.2
DT10/10.8
Game Saved!
You tremble a bit, staring at Hourai. Her eyes are smiling, or so you think, and she isn't retracting the offer.
She should hate you, and yet... she just willingly offers you her hard embrace with a painted smile, her eyes lifeless yet smiling in their own way.
Normally that would be a frightening sight, and yet, right now...
Right now, that's enough for you.
It's enough to get you to let yourself go, and just let it out. You accept the embrace, no matter how tiny it i- ohh, she's coiling around you.
...Creepy, yet far more comforting than trying to hug such a small target, and certainly easier.
It did surprise you out of your tears, though, but they soon return. Hugging her is difficult like this, so you just let her hold you as you cry in her many armed coils.
You'll find a way to make this up to her before you meet her in the afterlife.
If you meet her, at least.
Still, all you can do is cry and move on.
But you want more than what you can do, so you open your eyes, which are burning with Determination. "I'm fine now, Hourai... You can let me go..."
Your killing of a child fills you with Determination to never do it again!
+2 MAX DT
She gives you a binding squeeze, before releasing you. You wince at the strength in that small body being made obvious in that small gesture, but smile regardless, happy to have someone to do so in your time of need.
You eye the rapidly liquefying pile of slushy snow. Sighing, you decide you know what you must do, as disrespectful as it may be. If that snow is what ash is to humans, then you'll just have to take some with you.
You begin to rummage through your inventory, and eventually your hand hits what you were looking for.
It's not something that was there before, but you get the oddest feeling that this is normal, which makes you frown. You still don't quite remember a lot about a rather targeted subject, and you can't seem to latch on to it just yet, but you know that you'll get it with time.
Pulling out the handy dandy bottle, you decide to fix it with the full force of your gaze.
The bottle doesn't seem to care that you're glaring at it, but that may be a clever ruse.
Ordinary Bottle -50DEF 0MDEF 1ATK 0MATK
This bottle seems to be quite fragile, though the cork seems like it has seen some things.
You ignore the witty commentary from your eyes, quickly scooping up what remains of the remains into the bottle.
Surprisingly, it pretty much fills it to a comfortably full level, giving it a weight that isn't physical.
Strongest Urn 0DEF 0MDEF 0ATK 0MATK 1MAXDT
Is that an eye in there?
You double take, looking in the urn, but find no eye; it was just your reflection.
You put away the small bottle of dead girl, feeling oddly refreshed, if emotionally drained.
Lv1
HP8/20.2
DT10/13.8
You sigh. "I'm going to give her a proper burial." After a moment's thought, you add. "Till then, I'll keep her warm."
You get an odd look from Hourai.
"What?"
She just shakes her head as you put it in a warmer pocket- holycrapisthatcold!
Your frozen rump fills your with... pain, actually!
-1HP
But that pain also fills you with Determination!
+1 MAX DT
Lv1
HP7/20.2
DT10/14.8
You concentrate on enduring the cold. The cold comfort fills you with Determination!
+1 DT
You pull out your phone after a quick peek to find it; you swear it switches pockets sometimes. You dial 2 for Satori.
Whoever came up with the idea of counting up is a wonderful person.
You have to wonder if it was 1, though.
You hear only a small portion of the first ring before it gets picked up. "I see you've taken the advice, little one."
Her words give you pause. Then you realize her power to read minds must have a tremendous range.
Or maybe she's right behind you!
You glance.
"Indeed, my range is quite far. Although, Flowey has described it to have a latency issue the farther one is away." After a short pause, she adds. "I believe my words alone are proof enough that I am not near. Still, phones are better for talking to me, I find." As you open your mouth, she cuts you off. "I will point out that admitting to killing others, mind you, is a poor choice; it will only harm relations with others." Again she cuts you off. "Now, as for how to reach me, you will want to take a right at the next turn. If you find yourself hungry, you may go right, but make sure you don't spoil your dinner; I'm baking a pie." As you're about to say your thanks, she adds. "I'm very proud of you, however, little one. Few are brave enough to admit they killed someone. I shall see you soon, alright? Goodbye."
...She hung up. Well, hopefully she lets you get a word in edgewise later, as she wasn't doing that before.
As you sigh, getting ready to hit 1, your phone rings.
You snort, answering, "Hello?"
"My apologies, little one; I didn't mean to cut you off so many times. I'm not very good with ranged communication, you see, as I use mental cues to decide when to speak."
You smile at her apology. "Thanks, Satori."
"See you soon."
"Bye." You were temped to call her mom, but resist.
After she hangs up, you dial Flowey's number.
The phone rings eight times.
...Is she not answering.
"Hello-"
"Why does your v-"
"-, this is Flowey. I'm probably busy right now, so please leave your number and I'll get back to you. Worst case, another invasive push is happening"
...Well, then. "Hey, uhh... Hey, Flowey. I just wanted to call to say I wanted to tell you that I killed someone." ...This is the most awkward message you've ever left. "A-anyways, maybe you can poke me later or something." ...That sounds worse! "I mean with your big thorn!" Wait, wait! "I want you to penetrate me!" Wait, crap! "I mean, I want you-" The phone beeps.
Dammit. You really suck with answering machines.
Putting away your phone, you pull open the doors, heading in.
...Why is creepy music playing...?
Why does the hall seem to go on forever?
Lv1
HP7/20
DT11/15.8
You carefully begin to creep down the hall, the music growing nearer as you go, if practically inperceivably so.
What is with this hall, though? The design on the floor is strange at best.
You try to focus, looking for things to mark progress: distinct features, or even landmarks, as odd as the latter would sound.
You eye a hanging vine off to the side as you pass it by. You note its shape, counting the leaves.
As you continue on, you find yourself feeling more and more worried over small things: the sound of the music getting louder, though seemingly no progress being made, as well as the fact that you passed by that leafy vine a second time. Judging by its characteristics, you assume it to be ivy. Maybe that's where Flowey got the ivy from?
As you pass the vine a third time, your spirits are starting to droop, and every shadow holds an ambush.
You were voted most likely to kill their friends out of paranoia when faced with adversity in elementary school — a title of which you are proud of — so it's easy to say you aren't good with stress of this sort.
The vine. It's stalking you; you're sure of it, now. That's the fifth time you've passed it, now. There's no way to walk in circles down a straight hall, so it must be stalking you!
As you walk, eyeing every shadow, you jump when you feel tiny hands clutch your shirt.
...Wait.
You look down, finding Hourai giving you a blank look. Judging by her actions, you can only assume her to be trying to calm you, and thus consider this a mouthless frown of worry.
"What is it, Hourai?" She stares at you, causing you to return the painted smile with a frown proper. "Yes?" She seemingly hugs you, though you practically get the wind knocked out of you as she pulls herself against you with a sudden jerk. Wincing, you give her silky, fake hair a stroke.
Your spirit bolstered, you continue on.
After the tenth time of passing the vine — yes, you're counting — you head over and chop down the vine from as far up as you can reach, using your handy dandy… ...chest?
How?
Why?
You just sigh, continuing on as you stuff the vine in your left most right pocket, on the fifth level of pockets. Surprisingly, you find yourself nearly at the end, as you see a door in the distance. Was the vine the cause? Was the hall just that long and full of oddly standardized vine decorations?
And not just the door; you see three white pillars!
It's a miracle!
Deciding to throw caution to the wind, you sprint for the door, music blaring.
That was the worst five minutes of your life!
Lv1
HP7/20
DT11/15.8
You skid to a halt, staring down the trio.
Hourai, of course, looks up at you like you've gone mad. Mind you, you did just cut down a vine with the bluntest part of your chest, but still.
The mere idea of using the sharpest part frightens you slightly.
"Shh." You hold a finger to your mouth.
The doll stares at you like you're crazy and dumb.
Now, where were you. Ohh, right.
You level your gaze on the first pillar.
Conveniently Sized Pillar Lv1 999/50/0/10
It has room to grow.
And the next.
Conveniently Sized Column Lv1 999/25/0/50
It seems a bit... ...Well, it's curvy.
...Moving on.
Conveniently Sized Pole Lv1 999/25/0/25
It's very lithe.
You stare at the trio of oddly misshapen pillars incredulously.
Conveniently Sized Support Beam Ensemble Lv1 2997/100/0/85
Not suspicious at all.
Lv1
HP7/20
DT11/15.8
You stare at the pillars a moment, before sighing. "I was so sure, too, til I saw it with my own eyes…"
You simply continue on, the doll looking at you like you're crazed as the music fades while you get farther from its source.
After opening the door, you are met with a delicious smell: fried chicken.