Being Human - Act I - Chapter 34
Frisk hobbles his way into Waterfall, taking care to avoid tripping from exhaustion. Even after five hours of rest, the trip is a struggle, and his body aches with immense soreness. While his sweater and pants hide most of his bruises, he can't hide his black eye. Frisk can barely manage his slow pace, let alone the brisk speed he would prefer. However, what holds him back the most are not his injuries but a special someone at his destination.
"Come on, Frisk..." He pants to himself. "You're almost there... It can't get any worse... than an actual fight... You got to stop this battle... Before it gets any worse..." Yet, his words are weighed down by his memories with Undyne.
He does not know what to expect from Undyne, considering how she exceeded all his wildest expectations. If anything else, she is worthy of her title, and Frisk is not eager to return to the source of his injuries. The idea of facing a fully committed Undyne terrifies Frisk. He does not doubt he would stand no chance against her and has no explanation for how he 'defeated' her.
But the moments that remain with him that push him forward are when she surprised him. The moments where she showed him mercy, when he was defenseless and she left him behind. That is the Undyne he hopes to find at the end of this journey, not that his heart is fully committed to the idea and his feet are firmly ready to flee on a moment's notice.
C'mon Frisk, you gotta do this. If you can't get along with her down here, it won't happen on the Surface when me and Asgore break the barrier. She has to know humans and monsters can be friends. Besides, I won't be alone. Frisk re-enters Napstablook's neighborhood, and it doesn't take long for him to find her home. Papyrus stands in front of a large circular house in the shape of a scowling fish head with a small training yard in front.
"Hey Papyrus!" Frisk shouts with a half-wave of his hand, unable to complete it from the pain.
"Ha Ha! You have arrived, Frisk, and... Goodness gracious, what in the Underground happened to you, my friend?!" Papyrus rushes to his side to grab and caress his shoulders with a tender grip.
"Umm… I fell down some stairs." Frisk lies. "Don't worry, just being clumsily and silly. Besides, I'll be fine with you, Paps. Thanks for the invite."
"I wish I had green magic to help you, my friend. But you came to the right monster! I am certain if you ask Undyne, she will help you." Frisk smiles, the pain a distant afterthought in his mind as he beholds Papyrus' goofy grin.
I can't believe I used to be afraid of you. Hope I can say the same thing about Undyne... Frisk relishes Papyrus' assurances and takes in his confidence. He needs all he can get before facing Undyne. He could not have done this without Papyrus at his side to support him. If the worse comes to pass, having Papyrus around should make her hesitant to fight. He does not want to use Papyrus like this, but Frisk sweats at the thought of facing Undyne alone in a rematch.
Hopefully, it won't come to that.
"I'll be sure to ask her... I've been looking forward to hanging out with her... a lot," Frisk speaks like a mouse hiding from a lion.
"Another date, Frisk. Already! You're quite fickle with your heart. I am pleased that you have moved on, but I'm afraid you may find disappointment with Undyne in that department. I hope she will let your heart down softly." Papyrus says, and Frisk could not have been any more confused.
"Wait... what?" Papyrus turns aside to face the door before the conversation could continue.
"Nevertheless, I have an excellent plan to make you two great friends! Are you ready to hang out with Undyne?"
"You and I are on the same page, Papyrus... At least I hope we are." Frisk says in a nervous voice, both curious and afraid to learn who will open the door: Undyne the Hero or Undyne the Merciless.
"Okay! Stand behind me!" Papyrus knocks on the door and hands a gift-wrapped bone to him. "Psst... Make sure to give her this! She loves these!" Frisk takes the gift, needing all the luck he can handle.
After a few moments, the door opens to reveal someone Frisk would not have guessed to be Undyne. She exchanged her heavy suit of armor for a casual black shirt and blue pants. While she can look Papyrus in the eye socket, she has a slimmer and sterner body. One Frisk knows is not lacking in strength and power. Nor does he want to be reminded as he soothes his aching arms.
"Hi, Papyrus! Ready for your extra-private, one on one training?" Undyne says with a smile, unable to see Frisk behind Papyrus's bulky armor.
"You bet I am! And I brought a friend! He's only got one eye like you!" Papyrus stands aside, and two pairs of black and normal eyes meet one another.
"Hi, I don't think we've..." Shock consumes Undyne's face, rendering her speechless and Frisk a statue. Both are at a loss for words and wishing they can be anywhere else but unable to escape this moment.
"Why don't. You two. Come in?" Her words come forced and awkward as her crooked smile. She welcomes them inside with a wave of her arm. Papyrus skips without a care in the world, and Frisk baby steps inside as his heart enters a vice. The grip tightens when she closes the door behind them.
"Here, Undyne! My friend brought a gift for you on their own!" Frisk thanks Papyrus for breaking the continental-sized iceberg for him.
"Here... I really hope you like it." Frisk makes a weak smile, the best he could do in her presence as he hands the gift-wrapped bone to her.
"Uhhh... Thanks. I'll, uh, put it with the others." Undyne takes the bone without sparing him a glance, her attention devoted to Papyrus. Frisk finds himself in a mixture of relief and rejection as she walks away with the bone in hand and places it into some drawer on her kitchen counter.
"So, are we ready to start?" She asks Papyrus. Despite standing side by side, she throws her gaze away, fascinated with some empty corner of her home. Frisk could not blame her. He wants to escape this silent discomfort between them, like an unwelcome house guest that you must tolerate, and he does not doubt that is his role. He turns to Papyrus with hope in his eyes, searching and waiting for the answer that will make him and Undyne friends.
"Whoopsy Doopsy! I just remembered! I have to go to the bathroom! You two have fun!" Then, without any prompting, he runs across the room and leaps through a window, leaving behind a mess and a broken pile of glass. But, at least, he gave them something to share as they both try to stop him.
No, come back, Papyrus! I can't do this without you! Frisk pulls back his arm when he realizes it is futile and turns his anxious attention to Undyne. He expects a cold sneer or even her fist. But, instead, there's an eye patch and stubborn refusal to acknowledge him. Frisk shrinks to an inch as moments become seconds and threaten to become minutes of awkward silence.
Come on, Frisk. You have to do this. You two have to be friends. Otherwise... Frisk panics when his fingers reach the tutu's edge. He smacks his head so he could forget who left it behind and who's responsible for it being there to start. When that fails, Frisk searches through the boundless reaches of his mind and imagination for the perfect way to shatter this iceberg between them.
"So... How's the weather?"
"Why are you here?" She asks, walking to her dining table and casting her eye back to him. He tries to answer, but she continues. "Are you here to rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? Is that it?" Her words are soft but hit him like spears that chip away at his resolve.
"No! I-I swear... I-I'm not here to do... any of that stuff. I-I...I don't want to... fight." The words stumble out of his mouth like a man with two broken legs.
"Then why are you here?" She asks in a calm voice—a simple question, but with an almost impossible answer.
"I... I told you already... Back there..." Frisk motions outside where they had their duel. Frisk could tell she does not welcome the reminder; her hands clench into fists so tight she hurts herself.
"Really? After all that, you want to be friends with me." She throws her arms into the air like a child, her voice full of mocking cheer. "How delightful! I accept! Let's all frolic in the fields of friendship...!" Any hope in him dies a quick death when she sneers at him for the briefest of moments.
"Not! How can the two of us ever become friends?! I'm a monster, and you're a human. It's impossible." She walks further away from him to her sink counter to perform a menial chore in front of a mirror. Ironically, he could not see her face since her head is in the way.
"I know it's not easy... But I have other monster friends... and I want to be friends... with you." Frisk speaks and mentally hammers nails into his feet to keep himself from fleeing her home.
"What, you a masochist or something, human? Did you forget how that happened to you? Believe me; it could have been way worse. You really want to be friends with someone like me. Why don't you sell me Ebbott while you're at it? Besides, even if I was willing, and for the record, I ain't! It doesn't change anything or what happened... So, you still wanna be friends?"
"Yes... I do. It's the only way... I don't want us to fight again." Frisk is amazed he hasn't left.
"How much did I hurt your little head, human? Did you forget that you're still the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams?! Fine, I'll admit you could be a lot worse, but it's only a matter of time till our rematch. In fact, if you weren't my houseguest, I'd beat you up right now!" She does not face him, yet he can see the frustration drawn across her face.
Frisk believes what she says; she has proven that more than enough in word and action. Every instinct and fiber of his being tells him this is a lost cause and to leave. However, another piece of him refuses to give up, curious to know how this fight will end. Frisk musters his confidence and strength to hold his ground, standing like a broken and dying tree in the middle of a raging storm.
"You could have beaten me back then… But you didn't… You showed me mercy…And you're doing it now." She throws a fit and exposes her face in the mirror. Frisk could see not anger or rage but grief and guilt.
"Don't confuse my pity for mercy. I will never be your friend! So get out of my sight!" She commands in a thunderous shout. Frisk finds himself torn into pieces. His mind charges out of her home to never return, his body freezes with indecision, but his heart grasps a thread of hope with a death grip. However, he does not want to test her any further or cause her distress, so Frisk follows his mind.
"Dang! What a shame..." Papyrus steals the spotlight and conversation as he reappears in the window. "I thought Undyne could be friends with you… and you were so excited, too, human… I apologize she had to disappoint you. Guess I... overestimated her… A nice date to mend over old wounds… But she's not up to the challenge." Papyrus says before disappears, leaving Frisk in confusion and Undyne reaching for him.
"Challenge?! What? Papyrus! Wait a second...! Darnit! He thinks I can't be friends with you!?" Her fist and face clench in frustration along with her voice. Like the flip of a coin, her face explodes into a smile, and she lets loose laughter. "Fuhuhu! What a joke! I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day! I'll show him!"
Frisk awkwardly finds himself in her sight. He is uncertain if this is good or bad, and it does not take long for him to receive an answer. Cold and scaly webbed hands grab and squeeze his cheeks; she moved so fast that her movements were unreadable. Now he's in her clutches, yet her eye twitches as it locks gaze with him, and for a second, he thinks he spots the dried remains of tears.
"Listen up, human. We're not just going to be friends. We're going to be Besties. You won't be able to think of anyone else! Fufufufu! It's the perfect Redemption! Wait, I meant Revenge. Forget that last part, or I'll smash your face! And, uh, forget I said that, too! Because we're friends now!" Undyne finishes with an awkward laugh.
"Of course, that was all I wanted." Frisk says as best as he can, content with this strange turn in fortunate but finding himself afraid of friendly Undyne. However, he cannot allow this opportunity to slip from his grasp. As if she remembers something, she turns away from him with a hint of displeasure before smiling with her sharp teeth.
"Why don't you have a seat? It's so nice to have you over for a date." Then, with the flip of another coin, the hostility in her voice is replaced with sudden hospitably. She directs him to her table with a tender grasp on his shoulder and gentleness in her demeanor. Until her hand clenches his shoulder along with her voice, yet there is no discomfort or pain.
"But don't get any wrong ideas, human. No offense, but you ain't my type in a whole lot of ways." Undyne clarifies with some cringe before replacing it with an intense firm ferocity and fist for added measure. "This is just a hangout date between us, friends!" Then, she realizes this is a tad bit too much assertion and pulls back along with a nervous grin. "Got it, buddy?" Frisk nods to appease her as he takes a seat at her table.
What are you people talking about? Frisk thought as Undyne inspects her new broken window.
"I can't believe he leaped through the window like that."
"Yeah, that was just really random and-"
"Normally, he nails the landing!" Undyne says with a smile and chuckles to Frisk's surprise.
"So that's just a regular thing that happens," Frisk says, not surprised Papyrus would do such a thing.
"Oh yeah. Every time Paps needs to make a quick exit, he knows how to break one. You could take a few pointers from him, hum- I mean friend because we're all friends here. Here, I'll get you something to drink." Undyne makes her way to the counter.
"Alright, I'll see what you-!" Frisk rises to join her, and a spear splits the table in half. He is not the target, but the sudden attack nearly throws Frisk to the ground.
"Hey! Don't get up! You're the guest! Sit down and enjoy yourself!" Undyne commands with her stern posture and voice, yet the coin flips when they cross eyes. "...Um, I mean. Just stay comfortable and tell me what you would like to drink?" She says, composed and calm as she brings out an assortment of drinks.
Despite the variety in beverages, there is no choice between high-energy drinks, swamp water, monster sodas, and adult beverages. Despite the distasteful branding, Frisk settles for Golden Flower tea. In silence and turned away from him, she prepares the tea and emerges with two cups.
"Here it is. Careful, it's hot." His cup comes with an oven mitt while she grabs her cup without worry. With caution, Frisk takes quick and gentle sips from the tea to test its taste and texture.
"It's not that hot! Just drink it already!" With her encouragement, Frisk gulps his tea. His experience with monster cuisine has been a mixed bag thus far. But the tea is sweet and tart on his tongue, almost like an actual flower in his mouth. The image of drinking Flowey comes to mind, and Frisk smirks at the idea.
"It's pretty good, right? Nothing but the best for my absolutely best friend!" Frisk's small smile grows along with hopes for friendship and appetite for the drink. Yet he notices the awkward angle Undyne holds her head like she's trying to look and not look at him at the same time. Of course, with his throbbing black eye, he could not blame her, and the tea helps ease the pain in addition to the delightful taste.
"Yeah… I like it a lot. All we need is a spoon. We can eat the tea with a teaspoon, and with a tablespoon, we can eat this table." Frisk says to add some levity between them and to lift his stress at being in her presence. It appears to work as Undyne chuckles, and Frisk becomes more at ease.
"You know... It's kind of strange you chose that tea. Golden Flower Tea. That's Asgore's favorite tea, too! Actually, now that I think about it. You kind of remind me of him." Her voice is casual and relaxed.
"Really! Oh, c'mon, I'm just a kid and he's the king. So how am I like him?" Frisk asks, curious to know what they share in common.
"You're both total weenies!" Frisk is surprised that the king of all monsters can be described in such a way. Papyrus calling him a fuzzy pushover is one thing, but the head of the royal guard is something else.
"What else can you tell me about Asgore? I would love to know about him."
"Why ya asking, friend, probing us monsters for weaknesses?!" Undyne shouts and leans over the table in a menacing way that sends a shock into Frisk. That is until she backs off with laughter, and Frisk laughs with her, albeit in an awkward fashion.
"Sorry, couldn't resist. You should have seen your face. I haven't pulled one in a while. Y'know I was a pretty hotheaded kid. Once, to prove that I was the strongest, I tried to challenge Asgore."
"Let me guess... You beat him with one arm tied behind your back." His words are met with a heavy and loud slap on the table.
"Are you kidding! I'd wish that happened! Don't get me wrong, I tried. Emphasis on tried! But I couldn't land a single blow on him! Worse, the whole time, he refused to fight me back!" Frisk does not know what surprised him more. The fact he and Asgore do share something in common or how Undyne speaks with both pain and pride in her voice.
"I was so humiliated... But afterward, he apologized and said something goofy... 'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?' I was surprised, but I said yes, and from then on, he trained me in magic, combat, weapons, everything I wanted to learn and didn't think I needed to know. Then, one day, during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt... real bad. But he was beaming... I never saw someone more proud to get their butt kicked." As her voice rises in strength, a smile grows on his face and hope in his heart.
"Anyway, long story short, he kept training me... and before I knew it, I became the new head of the royal guard! I couldn't believe it! I always wanted to be a royal guard, but I never thought it would actually happen!" Her face radiates with pride and accomplishment; Frisk claps to give her an overdue congratulations.
"That must have been a great day. Always nice to have your dreams come true." Frisk imagines himself on the Surface with monsters and his mother at his sides.
"Papyrus told me he wanted to join to be strong and popular. So why did you want to join the Royal Guard?" He asks, and he can tell that the question occupies her mind since she forgets not to look at him in his eye.
"Ugh... you'll think it's dumb. It's ridiculous." Undyne scans at the ground with a resigned sigh.
"No, I won't. You can tell me anything. Pinkie swear." Frisk sticks out his pinkie finger. With a confused groan, Undyne raises her webbed hand with no separate fingers.
"Umm… You know what I mean. I promise I won't laugh or anything." With his assurance comes a broad smile, her foot on the table, and flex in her arms to rival Aaron.
"I wanted to be a hero straight out of the old legends! In the old days, we had stories of Asgore the mighty, Gerson and his hammer of justice, and the long-lost fury of Queen Toriel to inspire us! But that was all a long time ago, and growing up, we didn't have any heroes. Besides Tony, I guess, but... Uggh, never mind about him." Undyne returns to her seat, her voice turning somber.
"Not exactly a beacon of light in the darkness. People need to know they got a hero on their side, someone they can count on to be there when things get bad, to let them know that things will get better. Since no one else wanted to do it, I decided to try my best." She speaks with a deep yearning, one that goes back many years to her youth. As if she remembered his eye, she casts her head away to the side and scratches the back of her head. "I just hope I'm doing a good job."
"Well, if you ask anyone, they'd tell you're doing more than more a good job! So trust me, I would know." Or rather, his aching body would know best.
"Yeah, it's not always easy. There's a lot of grunt work I wish would go away. You gotta make and maintain puzzles. Ugh, I never liked those things. I prefer the direct approach." She smacks her fists together to sell the point. "Gotta keep the guards busy with training and patrols. Then you gotta fix everyone's problems and be there to save everyone's butts whenever they need ya. It leaves you beat at the end of the day, but it's all worth it when you know they're happy... At least, it is for me." Frisk could not help but be touched and warmed by her words.
"Oh, and patrolling every day, waiting for some human to fall so I can take-!" Undyne shuts her mouth before finishing the sentence, covering them in awkward silence.
"I didn't mean to say that… I shouldn't have said that… I-I…I. Would you like more tea?" Undyne's words spill out of her mouth just to fall apart and crumble into pieces. She holds the teapot like shards of ice and forces herself to look at him despite the visible strain drawn on her face.
"You don't have to worry, it's fine. That's your job. I get it. You have to capture humans."
"You don't have to remind me about my job." Frisk can tell the conversation deeply bothers her, but if there were going to be friends, this is a bridge they must cross and put behind them.
"I swear it doesn't bother me. I know what humans did to monsters. It's all horrible. We hurt you… trapped you all down here… and to make it worse, we decided to forget you. I've always been scared of being trapped somewhere with no way to escape. I can't imagine spending my whole life like that. You don't have to apologize to me. After all, you're the hero and…." Frisk speaks, but his voice dies into a whisper, dragged down by an immense solitary burden; it's not easy standing in the way of everyone's hopes and dreams.
"I'm the bad guy." Frisk confesses but wonders if it was the wrong thing to say as her face goes flat and solemn.
"Huh... Funny." That is all she had to say as she slumps into her seat. Her voice is heavy, but her words remain soft-spoken.
"Now you're reminding me of an idiot. A real dummy who thought all humans were evil and awful. She grew up on stories about how humans killed us... banished us down here... and left without another word. She believed that so hard you'd think she's crazy. She'd spend every day training and preparing for the day a human came down so she could finally beat one." When Undyne stops, Frisk has no idea what to say, so he remains silent as her face falls deep into contemplation.
"Then, one day, she got her wish. A human fell into the Underground, and she knew what to do. But… it got so hard. They raced together… camped together… and worked together. In the end, they had each other's backs, and she wasn't sure what to do, so she stabbed her in the back." Undyne bangs a dining knife against the table to make her point before cradling her eye patch with a tender touch.
"She knew it was the only way to stop the bad guy. And now… Now you're wearing those clothes, and I don't know what to think anymore. Maybe they could have had tea together." Undyne confesses, and never did she seem so small and frail to him, and everything becomes clear to Frisk.
"What, human, you don't like my story about heroes and bad guys? Don't worry, I didn't like it either." Undyne scoffs, and even if Frisk understands her, he cannot allow their conversation to end on such a somber note.
"Would you like to know what the surface is like?" His question seems to work, as her face rises along with her mood.
"It's beautiful. During the day, the sun shines high in the sky, and it keeps you and everyone warm like a hug that never stops. Even at night, when things get dark and scary, we get all the stars from all of outer space to keep us company. You can play connect the dots with them or stare at them and never get tired of their twinkle and sparkle. There are forests so green and big that you could get lost in them but never complain. There are lakes and rivers you can swim in as much as you want, bluer than the sky and deeper than you can imagine. There's always something to explore or something to learn, it's never boring, and it's all amazing." Frisk lies to reassure her.
"I hope that we can all see it one day. I really do."
"Quite the pretty picture you painted there. Makes me wish I knew what to do there. Least I know we got something to look forward to. Well, there is someone I hope will be there with me. She doesn't get out often, but maybe she'll like all that cheesy schmaltz." Her voice is more upbeat.
"Funny. I want to go to the Surface for the same reason."
"You got a special someone too? How adorable. What do you wanna do on the Surface?" Frisk does not know. After finding his mother, he had no other plans beyond that, assuming she would know and solve everything for him. However, Frisk does not want to lose his momentum with Undyne, and he ponders until he finds the perfect answer.
"I'm not sure... Who knows, maybe one day I'll become a royal guard." Undyne breaks into laughter as she stands from the table and invites Frisk to join her.
"Well, if you're gonna be a royal guard, we gotta toughen you up, and you came to the right place, friend." Undyne punches her fists together, leaving Frisk excited and not, as he does not expect her to take him that seriously. However, not wanting to lose her positive mood, he joins her in the center of her living room.
"First off, if you're gonna be a royal guard, you need a fearsome intimidation face and an epic battle cry to inspire fear and dread in your enemies! A suit of armor can help, but that's a clutch. You need to show you got the face to back up your fists."
"NGAHHH!" Undyne shouts as her face produces a striking and piercing scowl, one enchanted by her sharp teeth and cry that fills her room and blasts in front of Frisk's face. Frisk's startled and shaken face is all the proof they need to prove its effectiveness and raise his doubts on his ability to match hers.
"Umm... I don't know if I do this." Frisk murmurs under his breath.
"Sure you can!" Undyne boasts and flexes to display her confidence in herself and him. "You gave me a real good hunt through Waterfall! You outswam me! And you managed to get past me in a fight! If that doesn't mean you don't have an awesome warrior face and battle cry, then I don't know what doesn't!"
"What, what was that middle thing you-!"
"Now c'mon, show me your best!" Undyne interrupts and Frisk abandons the train of thought, drawing upon the many shows and films he saw on Surface TV for inspiration before he throws them aside. Using monster faces in this situation seems wrong to him.
"Alright, I'll try." Frisk twists and contorts his face to match Undyne. He musters his anger and terror to feed his face but finds none within him. Finally, after an intense effort, he produces a face that would intimidate someone if he had pitch darkness and a gang of armed mobsters to aid him. Without them, one would assume Frisk is suffering from constipation.
"Wow… That looks… so good. Now let's hear your battle cry." Undyne says what her face could not. With her 'approval,' Frisk puffs his lungs and musters as much fury and energy into his voice as he can, desperate to prove himself and meet Undyne's expectations.
"Ahhh…!" Frisk shouts like a man stabbed by a kitten. His voice is loud but devoid of any malicious or vicious intent, empty and hollow as the air he expels.
"Wow… That was… that was." Her hand meets her face with a groan. "Okay, I can't do this. Let's skip this part and move on." Frisk could tell she wants to spare his feelings and frowns as he disappoints her.
"The next step is to capture your opponent with a puzzle. Since I'm the only one here, that means you gotta capture me!" Undyne points at herself, but in Frisk's mind, she might as well have told him to climb a mountain stacked on top of another mountain.
Great… How in the Underground am I supposed to capture her? No way I can take her on in a fight. I gotta make a puzzle, but I got nothing to work with here. Frisk thought as he scans her home for any kind of solution to capturing her.
I can't let her down when she's so excited. But she's the head of the royal guard, and this is her house. So I don't stand a…! Frisk's mental train came into the station with the brightest but weakest light bulb he had yet. Tricky idea, but if it works, there's no way I can lose. Frisk thought with the cheesiest smile on his face.
"Undyne, consider yourself captured!" Frisk says along with a jab of his finger. Undyne does not believe him as his lips sink with disbelief.
"What?! You didn't even move. How the heck did you capture me? There's no way that could have happened so fast?!" She shouts, but Frisk retains his composure.
"No… I got you captured right now. But if you want to know how to escape… You better listen to me."
"Still playing the mercy game, kid? Fine, I'll play along. How do I escape?" Frisk raises three fingers.
"A scavenger hunt. You need to find three things that will let you go free from my trap. Once you find them, bring them to me, and you'll be able to escape. Here's the first thing you'll need, watch me." Frisk reaches into his pocket to pick up zilch and raises his hand to hold it in front of him. Then, he turns and jiggles his hand around in small circles.
"What are you doing now?"
"Charades. I thought about using a word game, but I figured you like the direct approach. I'm showing you what you need to find. If you can't find what I show you, you'll never escape." Frisk repeats the motion over and over again. Sometimes he makes a circle with his finger or cracks his bones. Regardless, Undyne is utterly captivated by the game; if anything else, he has captured her attention.
"It's like you're trying to unlock something. But how can you unlock anything without… Oh, it's a key, isn't it! I need a skeleton key to escape your trap. That makes perfect sense!" Undyne says in excitement, especially when Frisk confirms the answer with a nod of his head.
"I'll be out of here in no time at all." Undyne retrieves a ring of keys from her person and hands them to Frisk. Satisfied, Frisk brings his hands together and jabs them upwards in a thrusting stabbing motion. It doesn't take long for Undyne to discover the answer as she materializes a spear inside her hand to his frustration.
"Way ahead of ya, kid."
"Right answer, but it's gotta be a real spear. A magic spear won't work if you wanna escape my trap." Her face is upset, but she complies.
"Fine, I'll be back." Undyne turns and goes to a drawer to pull out several utensils: spoons, forks, knives, swords, axes, nunchucks, and finally a spear. She turns and finds Frisk in the same place to return the spear to him. Despite an exhausted look and panting, Frisk gives her a confident smile.
"You seem pretty cocky for someone who's about to lose," she says. "You'll never be royal guard this way, kid."
"Game's not over yet." Frisk goes flat as a board and swings himself on the tip of his shoes, back and forth. When that does not work, he repeats his key motion but walks inside and outside this time. Undyne looks straight ahead to discover the answer.
"The door? What, you seriously expect me to believe that you trapped me in my own house!" Undyne walks to the door. "Nice try kid, but you'll have to do a lot better than…." To her confusion, the door does not budge no matter how hard she struggles. Preferring not to have a broken door and window, she doesn't try too hard. But her efforts are in vain.
"What the heck! I never lock this door… unless." Undyne turns around to find Frisk with the key in one hand and the spear in another. She pieces it together. "What? You said if I found the stuff, I would be able to escape! You tricked me!"
"No, I didn't. I'll admit I locked the door when you were looking for the spear. But this is all you need to get free." Frisk hands the spear to Undyne. Now defenseless, Frisk uses the key to unlock the door and opens it to set her free.
"See, now you're free from my trap. Just like I said you'd be."
"Then what was your real trap? How did you capture me?" Undyne asks, consumed with curiosity and confusion.
"You're trapped by my company. Monster guest privilege means you have to accept me until I decide to leave, right? So I'm just showing myself the way out. Unless you want me to stay?" Frisk offers, and Undyne could not have been anymore dumbfounded before becoming pleased.
"Wow, now that's smarts. I didn't see that coming at all. Gotta say, I've never seen a better and nicer trap. You got a good head on your shoulders kid." Undyne stares at him for a few seconds before throwing her sight away. She closes and locks the door again when she takes the key.
"But you ain't getting away from me that easily! We gotta finish the final piece of your training! Combat training!" Undyne shouts, and had it not been for the infectious excitement in her voice, Frisk wouldn't have any. Nevertheless, he follows her to an impractical oversized sword.
"Humans suck, but your history... kind of rules. Case in point: This giant sword. Historically, humans wielded swords up to 10x their size. Right?"
"Are you kidding? There's no way any human could use a sword like that. It's too big!" Frisk says to convince her.
"Pfft! You liar. I've read Alphys's human history books. I know all about your giant swords… Your colossal, alien-fighting robots... And your supernatural princesses... Heh! There's no way you're gonna fool me again!" Frisk sighs, realizing that trying to convince her further would be a fruitless endeavor.
"Time for the spar." Undyne materializes a spear in hand and gives the sword to Frisk. The lack of coldness and weight fills his head with questions. Despite not being a true sword, the size, shape, and lack of personal experience make it hard for him to handle. The sword swerves in his grip like butter; against this, he faces Undyne and her spear.
Well, if she didn't believe me before, she'll believe me now. Frisk thought as they circle each other.
"Since this is your first time, I'll go easy on you. Now en guarde." By easy, Undyne seems to have meant she would only hit his sword and not Frisk. Not that it makes any difference, thanks to the immense power and strength of her strikes, Frisk's defense crumbles away. During the fight, Frisk cannot help but remember his fight with her on the bridge. The sword falls out of his hand during his recollection, and she allows him to pick it up.
"You gotta keep a strong grip on your sword." Unfortunately, the second round goes even more poorly than the first. Despite the advice, any grip on his blade is offset by his inability to keep up with Undyne's speed. The only reason Frisk can keep pace with her is that she is holding back her attacks. Not that it helps since he can only see her half of the time with one eye. The sword falls out of his hand after a blindside attack.
"Never lose track of your opponent. Always keep them insight." The attacks come faster and more robust, lost in her excitement. Frisk shifts from side to side as several of her attacks come close to his head. In the rush and fury, Frisk finds himself not inside her home but back on the bridge as they have their rematch to the death. Any chance he might have had of victory dies when the blade is forced back towards his face as Frisk shifts to one side.
"Yes. Now we're having real fun!" Undyne shouts with blind excitement.
"Aagghhh!" Frisk shouts as the sword's hilt is forced into his black eye. The pain is hard and sudden, yet the sting does not fade as it burns like a flame across his face. Frisk collapses to the ground as his hands dig into his eye to ease the pain. The sword falls away to the floor, along with an alarmed gasp from Undyne.
"Oh my gosh! I'm didn't mean it. I-I got too excited." Behind his closed eyes, Frisk can feel the tips of her nails reach for his eye, reaching out to capture him and tear out his soul. His hand flinches instinctually to slap them away weakly, and he grimaces and cries from the stinging pain in his black eye.
"Please stop it! It hurts too much! Please don't hurt me!" Frisk wanted to speak in his head, but the words spill out of his mouth. He cannot see her face but gazes to discover pain drawn across her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said…."
"Here, let me see your eye," Undyne speaks to his surprise, especially after a long and strange game of avoiding his eye. Yet as her webbed hand comes to him, his instincts flinch in response to protect himself.
"Don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt ya. Now let me have your eye." Her voice is calm and quiet, devoid of its usual harshness and toughness. Frisk lowers his guard to allow her an opportunity, trusting her to do what she wants to do. He tries to open his other eye but finds it blocked.
"Not yet. It's a surprise." Her voice cracks as she goes static and still before him. A few moments of inactivity pass, as if she was making up for lost time staring at his face. Frisk wishes he could do the same. That is when a wet and cool hand clasps itself over his black eye. The sensation is not an unwelcome one to the pain that covers his throbbing eye.
Until a powerful green glow shines through his eyes, yet it does not blind him. Like one of her mood swings, the pain which consumed his eye transforms. What was a burning and unbearable pain is reduced to a mild ache to Frisk's disbelief.
Miss Toriel? Frisk thought as he opens both his eyes to discover Undyne's eye and eye patch.
"Here, come take a look at yourself." Undyne takes Frisk to her mirror and lifts him into the air with ease. Frisk gasps as his black eye is gone, replaced by a mild but barely noticeable red like the healing process on his eye had accelerated by a few days. Despite being astonished by the change in his face, what catches his attention is a goofy but gratifying grin to rival Papyrus on Undyne's face.
"How?" He knew about magic; it was undeniably the same Toriel used on him in the Ruins. But for Undyne to use it as well… he almost couldn't believe it.
"Oh, just a little thing called green magic, kid." She lowers him back to the ground in front of her. With Frisk's black eye gone, Undyne no longer avoids staring into his eyes. Frisk also finds he doesn't mind looking Undyne in the eye. As strange as an eye with a yellow sclera is, he finds it welcoming and takes the invitation.
"Pain is good for the body, you know. Makes ya tougher!" She bangs her fists against her chest to make her point. "I never care much for the healing part. Feels like a cheap shortcut. You gotta know how to take care of yourself, or you'll never get any stronger. But sometimes, there ain't anything wrong with giving a friend a helping hand." They share a chuckle, but Frisk couldn't help but notice lack of healing touch on herself.
"What about your eye?" Frisk asks.
"Ahh… Green magic can't pull off miracles. If you break something too hard, you can't fix it anymore." She raises her hand over her eye patch. "Besides, even if I could, I wouldn't. There are things I don't want to forget. Honestly, I'm more of a fighter than a magician, anyway." Her voice turns hard again, so Frisk drops the subject.
"Well, you're already better than me. I can't do magic at all. But then again, neither can humans. At least not anymore; I've never seen any human use magic. Well, real magic. We got one magic trick on the Surface." Frisk makes jazz hands and speaks like a commercial salesperson. "Come one, come all! Behold the marvelous mysteries of disappearing money. Watch in wonder as your wallet becomes empty before your very eyes!" Undyne snickers.
"That's funny. I guess we got something else in common," she says to his surprise. "I always had a hard time with magic. It took me a long while till I got it right. It all works like this, you gotta…."
"Yeah, I know; open your soul out to magic, and magic accepts everyone. But it doesn't work, no matter how hard I try." Frisk struggles to do anything as he exerts himself to no avail.
"That's only part of it, friend. Asgore told me that you can't force magic inside ya; it has to be natural. Magic is a part of you, just like your hair, your skin, and everything else. Took me a long while to figure it out because the harder you try, the more it won't work. That's how magic works; you can't force your hair to grow longer. You just have to let it happen. Be one with your magic, like you are with yourself."
Frisk ponders on her words, combining them with Papyrus' concern that something is blocking his magic. He does not know what it is, but he is determined to find the answer. "Well, once you get it, I guess it comes pretty handy in a fight or spar."
"Oh, like you wouldn't believe." Undyne grins. "There ain't a lot of folks who can go toe to toe with me, so now I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight! But, man, did this bring back some fun times."
"Like Papyrus? He sure knows how to fight."
"Yeah... like, uh, Papyrus. But, um, to be honest... I don't know if I can ever let Papyrus into the royal guard. Don't tell him I said that!"
Frisk does not expect her to say that about him. "I promise I won't. But why? That was the whole reason he wanted to capture me."
"He's just... well... I mean, it's not that he's weak. He's actually really freaking tough! It's just that he's... way too innocent and nice!" Her voice goes sullen and somber. "I mean, look, he was supposed to capture you, and he ended up being your friend instead."
How ironic… Frisk thought with a smirk, unable to avoid the irony of their situation.
"I could never send him into battle! He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds. That's part of why I started teaching him how to cook, you know? So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life."
"I guess that makes sense. When I fought him, it was easy, but if someone did fight him for real… Well, I don't want to think about it."
"That makes two of us, friend. Oh, sorry, I was talking for so long. You're out of tea, aren't you? I'll get you some more." Undyne stands up and walks to the counter, and Frisk prepares to march back to the table to get his cup for a refill. That is until Undyne comes to a halt.
"Wait a second. Papyrus... His cooking lesson... He was supposed to have that right now! And if he's not here to have it... You'll have to have it for him!" Undyne leaps into the air to land on the kitchen counter.
"That's right! Nothing has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means if I give you his lesson..." She slides across the counter, knocking over several items & foods as she goes.
"Actually, I already know how to…." Frisk is thrusted into the air as Undyne grabs his head and takes him alongside her at the stove.
"We'll become closer than you can even imagine!" She shouts and Frisk sighs, content to cook after such a long hiatus. While Frisk considers himself somewhat of a cook, he never got far without detailed instructions to guide his hand and preparations. A novice in learning, and while curious in her unorthodox methods, something tells Frisk he won't be learning anything from Undyne.
"Sure… Why not?" Frisk replies in a meek voice. But, once again, friendly Undyne can be just as scary and aggressive as Royal Guard Undyne.
"Fuhuhu! Afraid!? We're gonna be best friends!" Undyne stomps on the ground, and somehow a bowl of tomatoes falls in front of them. Frisk looks for their source only for Undyne to direct his attention to the tomatoes.
"Let's start with the sauce! Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy! Now! Pound them to dust with your fists!" Undyne commands at him, but with a voice full of excitement. Despite knowing better, Frisk wants to appease her after coming so far. He looks at the tomatoes, and despite his promise, envisions them as a field of Floweys and finds the will to destroy them. He punches one of the tomatoes off the bowl to her approval.
"Yeah! Our hearts are uniting against these healthy ingredients! Now it's my turn! NGAHHH!" Undyne punches the entire bowl, unleashing a mess of broken pieces and a torrent of red paste that stains the wall, counter, and their faces.
"Umm… Fruity." Frisk licks the tomato paste to calm and prepare himself for her more aggressive approach to food preparation.
"Uhhh... We'll just scrape these into a bowl later. But for now... we add the noodles!" She takes Frisk to the stove, where he can use a towel to clean himself. Undyne stomps the ground to bring a box of noodles that falls from above them.
"Where is this stuff coming from?!"
"Oh, I hate cold food. So Alphys fixed my fridge so it heats my food instead! Hot Fridge... The world's greatest invention! But some food needs to stay cool. So, I keep them on my ceiling!" Undyne stomps again, and this time a bottle of cooking oil drops from the ceiling. She pours it into a pot on the stove along with water from her sink. She hands the box of noodles to him, and he tries to open it.
"Oh c'mon. Show that box whose boss!" Frisk does not know what to do. To waste so much energy and effort for situations that don't warrant it is strange, yet Frisk proceeds to beat the box into submission like the cardboard enemy it is.
"This oven is some top-of-the-line MTT Brand. But, y'know, as much as technology advances... Nothing beats food home-cooked with fire magic. And now, for the noodles. Homemade noodles are the best… but I just buy store brand! They're the cheapest!" Frisk's pummeling of the box results in the box's unsealing and freedom of the noodles. With a heavy breath, he hands them over, to Undyne's satisfaction.
"NGAHHH! Now throw them in the pot!" Frisk throws the noodles into the pot like unwanted waste. He must admit, Undyne's more aggressive tendencies do have an infectious quality.
"Yeah! I'm into it! Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule, the more you stir... the better it is!" Undyne hands Frisk a wooden spoon to use. Frisk stirs the noodles with more force than he usually would. The entire effort is unnecessary, not that Undyne seems to agree, and he is coming around to her culinary ways.
"Stir harder!" Frisk follows her command and stirs faster, creating ripples in the water as he hits the noodles.
"Even harder!" Frisk stirs harder than he ever has before. The spoon breaks some of the fragile noodles and water spills over the edge. Yet that does not seem to be enough for her as she pushes Frisk to the side.
"Ugh, let me do it!" Undyne materializes a spear and uses it to 'stir' the pot, reducing it and noodles to a fraction of their former size. With the meal largely destroyed, Undyne cannot have been any more pleased with the outcome. Not that Frisk is in a mourning mood, enraptured with her high spirits.
"Fuhuhuhu! Now that's the stuff!" She says with a flex of her arms. "Alright, now for the final step! Turn up the heat! Let the stovetop symbolize your passion! Let your hopes and dreams turn into the burning fire!"
"You can say that again!" Frisk turns the dial to raise the flames, which burns against the tips of his fingers and burns the pot's contents, not that it bothers Undyne.
"Now we're on the same page! Don't hold anything back!" The fire reaches a high setting and brings the water to a powerful boil.
"Hotter, darn it!" Frisk turns the dial until it could no longer turn, and the flames grow to burn and consume most of the pot. Any idea of cooking the food to an edible form falls as the flames rise. Yet even this did not seem to be enough for her.
"Hotter!" Undyne grabs the dial and moves it beyond all factory and safety settings. This action creates flames that shoot out from the stove and spread beyond the pot. Flames spring across the counter and spark a fire that spreads across her home as Frisk backs away.
"Wait, that's too-" A blinding light engulfs them as the stove becomes a geyser of scorching fire. Undyne grabs Frisk and throws the two of them away to safety to the center of her room. Not that they can do a thing to stop the growing fire as it spreads across the remainder of her home.
"Ah," Undyne says, "no wonder Papyrus sucks as cooking. So, what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?" Frisk can only look on in utter disbelief and dread at the growing inferno.
"Can we please leave now?" Frisk pleads, leaving Undyne in stunned silence until she sighs from resignation.
"...Oh, who am I kidding? I screwed this up, didn't I?" Disappointment is drawn across Undyne's face, but Frisk's concentration is torn into too many directions between her sadness and the growing flames.
"I can't force you to like me, human. Some people just don't get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me. I've failed, and that makes me a failure. Shouldn't be surprised; I was never any good at this friend stuff anyway."
"No, I-" Undyne covers his mouth with her hand.
"And if we can't be friends... That's fine. Because... if we're not friends... It means you can destroy me without regret!" Undyne stands and leaves herself vulnerable as she did in their battle. Anyone could strike her, and she would take it.
"Why are you doing this, Undyne?" Frisk stands before her, wanting to leave but unwilling to leave her behind in the growing inferno. He wipes away sweat from his forehead as everywhere around gets hotter and warmer.
"I've hurt you... This date has been a disaster... I even failed to befriend you. This must be done! I won't leave! The only way I can repent! One final rematch! And don't you dare deny me! It's the only way I can regain my lost pride!" Undyne shouts with deadly seriousness. Despite this, Frisk feels no danger or threat from her. Instead, he is left with an impossible choice.
He could refuse and leave her behind in flames. Even if she survives, she will never forgive this blow to her pride. Or he could fulfill her wish to fight her and break his word and end any chance of them being friends. Unfortunately, the burning and blinding flames are not doing either of them any favors either.
"Now come on!" Undyne commands. "Hit me with all you've got! NGAHHH!" Frisk can no longer remain idle.
Well, there's an exception to every rule. Frisk thought.
He raises his hands and clenches his fingers into a fist.
He channels all of his might and power into a single punch.
Undyne seems pleased, with tears in her eyes, taking no action to dodge or deflect his attack.
He swings his fist towards her and lands a decisive blow on her, one to match any paper cut, leaving Undyne both dumbfounded and unscathed. Frisk steps away, lowering his guard and dropping his fists, leaving himself exposed to any attack.
"Your turn. That's how fights work, right?" Frisk says, to her confusion.
"What? That's the best you can manage? Even attacking at full force, you just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?" Undyne collapses to his height.
"You know," Frisk says, "when I got into Waterfall, I had no idea how I would get past you. I had to do it. I did think I would have to fight you. But now that I'm here, I never want to fight you or any monster ever again."
"But you're a human. So why would you spare me?"
"Because we're friends, and friends don't fight each other. We help each other. Well, that is, if you wanna be friends with me." Frisk gives a wide and earnest smile, leaving Undyne stunned until she finally shatters the silence.
"Heh, you know what? When I first met you, I didn't want anything more than to take you down and prove my worth. I was only a royal guard for a few weeks, and a human was all I needed to save all of us. Then you fell and it was my job to capture you. We fought… We worked together… We lost it all… And in the end, you could have hurt me, but you didn't." Frisk realizes that she is talking to someone at a different time and place.
"When you died, I told myself it was the only way, or you deserved it." She says as she covers her eye. "Looking back now, I wish anything else could have happened, Liza. And I didn't understand why I felt that way." Undyne turns to face him.
"But now because of you… you? Who are you?" Undyne asks.
"Frisk."
"Frisk. That's a nice name." Frisk disagrees, but he does not want to interrupt her. "At first, I hated your stupid saccharine schtick. I tried not to think too hard about it. You were the last soul we needed, and that was all that mattered. But everyone I met liked you and you never hurt anyone. I thought it was a trick like her. But... the way you hit me right now... I get it now…." As if they shared a brain wave, they grab each other's shoulders to reassure one another.
"Now I know you aren't just some wimpy loser. You're a wimpy loser with a big heart! Just like Asgore and… Liza. I'm sorry for everything I did to you. For everything I've ever done." She says with a tear in her eye, no longer afraid to hide it or to look into his eyes with an enormous bright and warm smile. Frisk finds it a bit on the weird side but beautiful in her way.
"I accept your apology because I know you are a hero, Undyne. So… can we just be friends?" Frisk says with a bright smile and a burning fire inside his soul, one to match the fire burning her home to the ground.
"I don't why you want to be friends with me. But I promise I'll be the bestest friend I can be to you, Frisk. Now let's start by getting the hell out of this place!" Undyne shouts and Frisk remembers the burning firestorm around their bodies. Before he can respond, Undyne picks him up and charges towards the locked door. Not that it matters since Undyne kicks it down with ease and takes them to safety, leaving the fire behind them.
"Sorry about your house, Undyne."
"Ahh, don't worry about it, Frisk. Believe it or not, this ain't the first time."
Why does that not surprise me at all? Frisk thought as Undyne lowers him back to the ground.
"But where are you going to live?"
"Somewhere else, I guess. In the meanwhile, I guess I'll hang with Papyrus and Sans. So, if you need me, drop by Snowdin, okay!?" Her words please him, the idea of his friends all together in one place whenever he wants or needs them. And in Snowdin Town of all places makes it all the sweeter, it's almost enough to make Frisk consider taking a break, almost.
"Wish I could join you." Frisk says as a tint of sadness and regret seeps into his voice and his head dips towards the ground.
"So, you're moving on ahead? Good. No one likes a stickler, least of all me. I would join ya, but Hotland's a giant no-no for me. But I know Alphys will take good care of you in Hotland. She's one of the best!"
"Alphys. I'll remember that name when I get there, and eventually, I should reach... the end." An awkward silence falls upon the two of them. Both of them know who is waiting there for Frisk to arrive.
"Listen, Frisk. It seems you & Asgore are fated to fight. But knowing him... He probably doesn't want to. Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home to your special person. Eventually, some real bad human will fall down here... And I'll take their soul instead." Her pained words make Frisk laugh inside his head. The Frisk from two days ago would have taken the offer without hesitation. Now the idea is unthinkable.
"No! I won't do that, monsters have been down here long enough. I have a crazy plan. It might or might not work. But, if it does, all of us will be walking out of the Underground together. And even if it doesn't work. I promise we'll come back and save all monsters. She'd love to do that. I know she will." Frisk says as an enormous smile explodes across her face as Undyne pulls him into a bone-crushing hug that sucks the wind out of his lungs. As usual, friendly Undyne is a force to be reckoned with at the best times, along with the worse, which thankfully are behind them.
"Oh, Frisk, you're too good to be true. I'm rooting for ya, so don't let me down! Because if you do that or hurt Asgore... I'll take the human souls... cross the barrier... And beat the hell out of you! That's what friends are for, right?" She threatens him, but in a voice so lighthearted and earnest he does not know whether she is serious or not.
"No problem. I promise I won't let ya down." Frisk says as Undyne lowers him to the ground. However, she does not let him go.
"One last thing… Can I have her clothes? Please… I know it's too late, but I want to give her a proper goodbye. Heroes deserve that much, and I owe it to Liza." Frisk nods and removes the ballet shoes and tutu to give them to Undyne. She takes them with a tender and respectful hold as if he had given her Asgore's remains.
"Well, that was fun, right? We'll have to hang out again another time...! See you later, punk!" Undyne waves him goodbye with a salute.
"Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Thank you for everything, Undyne." With their date finished, human and monster step away from each other but remain inseparable in their hearts. Neither one will make the same mistake again, as Frisk stares back at her with a flame in his soul that rivals the one destroying her home.
I promise I'll never doubt a monster ever again. Frisk thought as he walks away, more able and prepared for the remainder of his journey than ever before. Even if a 100 Floweys emerged in front of him, it would not make a dent in his spirit. He may not have left the Underground, but there is no going back on his new journey, and Frisk does not mind. There is a piece of him in tears, not tears of sadness or despair, but of a joy that hasn't been experienced for far too long.
Frisk is Filled with Determination.
Undyne's home continues to burn itself to the ground, leaving no square inch untouched by fire. The light blinds her eye and irritates her scales, but Undyne cannot help but take one final look at her old home. With an entire house of fuel, the fire will grow until it suffocates itself. Until then, no one could remain within the fire's vicinity, and Undyne departs.
"My oh my, how spectacular. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it." The human girl in the red and orange striped sweater speaks as she steps out of Undyne's burning home. She stops a few steps from the scorching inferno and grabs her curious chin, her hazel eyes full of intrigue.
"He defeated Undyne and stayed true to himself, and she decided to help a human of all things. They're actually working together; I suppose miracles do exist. Finally. Took them long enough." She stands outside the burning inferno, undisturbed by the flames.
"They have come a long way since the Ruins. I hardly recognize either of them anymore." She turns to stare at Undyne as she walks away with the tutu & ballet shoes. "And Undyne, look at what they've done… to- To!" Her lips quiver and eyes tear as she witnesses Undyne depart with a smile, leaving the girl speechless.
Without realizing it, her hand latches onto her hair ribbon, and she tenderly grasps it for a few moments. Then, when she tries to stop herself, she refuses. "Is this actually working? Can they truly win?"
She prolongs her grasp until she painfully drags her hand down to her side, along with her face sinking towards the ground. "I really must stop getting my hopes up. Their journey is going to get hotter, and they must stay the course, one simple little mistake, and I shall win." She speaks. But after a few moments, she removes her blue hair ribbon and stares at it with deep intense longing.
"But if they can keep it up a little while longer… actually become friends with each other... Overcome the truth… I may actually lose." Her face twists into an awkward smile for the briefest of seconds. Until she regains her stolid composure and steps off the burning porch, stumbling ahead with her head held down.
"So... My friends... Are the two of you going to join me… or let me down?"