It had seemed the delaying action had worked. Syphus had left Ananas back in the tunnel to the village, telling her to get back there and sleep, and went to the path he knew Frisk would take through Waterfall. It was starting to be late at night, the passageways and roads in Waterfall were rather lonely, to the point that anyone's steps would reverberate and announce anyone's presence, but no one was coming. It seemed like Syphus was the only person roaming this late around.
The streets pf Snowdin Town were as lonely as Waterfall. Unlike earlier, only a few stragglers remained out of their homes, calmly walking and enjoying the cold air outside. It was going to be a pleasant and peaceful night for everyone, there was no reason to believe anything would happen. Syphus made a SAVE point and stuck his claws into the pockets of his jacket, crossing the town and leaning on the sign that welcomed newcomers to Snowdin.
Minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen. Thirty. Fifty. All that time, gritting his teeth and rubbing his hands together to keep himself warm. From time to time he had to step away of the sign just to make sure the back of his clothing wasn't sticking to the sign. During that wait, a few of the residents of the town approached, asking if he was waiting for someone. "A friend of mine should be coming to the town" he always replied cordially. Usually the pedestrian would go away at that time, but sometimes they'd stick around. Syphus welcomed the conversations, anything to keep himself busy instead of having to stare around him and count the snowflakes on the pine needles of the nearest tree.
The wait was close to meeting the one-hour mark when the most recent pedestrian said something Syphus hadn't thought about. "What if they already arrived?"
"...eh?"
"They could be waiting somewhere warm and comfy" the pedestrian turned their head towards the nearby houses "Like the inn"
Could they have arrived long ago? It was worth a try. Entering, asking and going out...it shouldn't take more than a minute or two. If Frisk wasn't there, then Syphus could return outside, no big deal. No, now that he thought about it, it's possible they were at the skeleton brothers' house, too. Had Frisk met them?
Syphus thanked the pedestrian and walked to the inn, shaking off the snow off his shoulders and entering. The bunny monster behind the counter raised her eyes from the guestbook, smiling at the possible client. "Welcome to Snowed Inn. Do you wish to take a room?"
That wasn't a bad idea, it was turning late. After asking how much it'd cost to have a room for the night – that much?! That's almost all the gold I have! – and taking his key, Syphus leaned on the counter, doing the most amicable face he could make. "Say, I have been waiting for a friend for a while already...maybe they rented a room?"
"How do they look like?"
Syphus levelled his hand in the air. "They are this tall, brown hair, a striped sweater...they're a child, traveling alone"
"Oh! Yes, a child wanted a room. Poor thing had no gold, but I let them stay. Are you their guardian?"
The piece hesitated, unsure. He'd have to lie, wouldn't he? "I'm responsible for their well-being. Can I see them?"
The innkeeper wasn't forthcoming with the information at first, but after Syphus suggested she went with him to confirm with the child, she stepped away of the counter and brought him to a door upstairs. She knocked on the door. "Excuse me! May I come in?" the child inside replied she could, so she opened the door widely.
Indeed, it was Frisk. The child was inside, sitting on the bed, clutching their arm and staring at the wall. When the innkeeper opened the door they turned their head around. "Do you know him?" she asked, stepping aside to show better the reptile monster beside her. Frisk stared for a moment before nodding. Satisfied with the child's response, the innkeeper stepped away. Once the innkeeper was gone, Syphus sighed and leaned against the wall, said a 'hello, Frisk' and quickly evaluated Frisk's condition.
Frisk was rather roughed up. Their hair was disheveled, they had scrape marks on a side of their face, and they were still holding their arm. It didn't look like they were hurt in any way that was going to last for a long while, but it was pitiful enough for Syphus to immediately feel a bit of a protective feeling towards the child.
"I thought you lived in the Ruins..." Frisk said, still not moving from the bed. They weren't trying to close the door, that was a good sign. He wasn't unwelcome right now, at least not as before, and Syphus was going to take any chance he could to convince Frisk not to continue alone.
"I told you I was just a visitor there" Syphus said and shook his head "What happened, kid? Why are you so beaten up?"
"...I got attacked"
"Who?"
"The Royal Guard. They..." Frisk winced "I didn't think they would be so violent..." it was to be expected monsterkind would be a tad more brutal since there were no SOULs gathered and Frisk was the first human to fall – as far as most knew – but knowing it and seeing the results of that behavior were two different things. The feathers on Syphus' back stood on end.
"How dare they...!" he spat, gritting his teeth for a moment before forcing himself to calm down "Will you be okay?"
Frisk nodded, tightening their hold on their arm. Not convinced, Syphus slowly entered the room, prepared to leave if Frisk so wished it. "Let me see" they requested gently. Frisk hesitated, looking at their shoes and not saying anything. Syphus had been about to step back when Frisk extended their arm. The piece rolled up the sleeve as carefully as possible.
The arm was pretty bruised but it didn't seem broken. It was bleeding lightly, maybe Frisk had fallen down on some rocks? The cause didn't matter that much. "It isn't so bad. You should be fine" Frisk still didn't reply; they were staring at Syphus with confusion. The false monster didn't realize what had been his mistake, but Frisk did notice that, despite the long curved claws and scaly fingers, Syphus' claws didn't entangle in the sweater, nor the fingers felt as scaly as expected. It was weirdly contradictory; they weren't sure what the meaning of it all was.
Syphus let go the arm. "I'll go get some bandages. Wait here, kid. It won't take long" he requested. To be frank, he was kind of sure Frisk would run away, or at least close the door of their room. Soon Syphus was back in the inn, having spent the last gold he had on bandages and a Cinnamon Bun. Much to his surprise, he found the door of Frisk's room wide open. When Syphus entered, Frisk jumped slightly, as if they had been doing something wrongful right before Syphus came in.
The child accepted the Cinnamon Bun. "Alright, stay still. If you move you could get a bit more hurt than you already are"
"...it doesn't hurt that much"
"It isn't about you being in pain, it's about making sure you're alright" Syphus carefully made sure there really wasn't anything broken and started wrapping the bandages around Frisk's arm, trying his best not to cause too much discomfort. Frisk stoically endured the pain, barely showing it hurt, satisfied with eating the Cinnamon Bun.
Once Syphus was done, he put a bit of the leftover bandage on the scrape marks on Frisk's face, and let their hair cover it. "There you go. We're done here"
"...you didn't have to do this, Syphus" Frisk mumbled, his fingers curling on what was left of the Cinnamon Bun.
"I don't see why not. You were hurt, I wanted to help you. What kind of person would see a child hurt and walk away? Not a good person, I'd say"
"Do you really think that?"
"Of course I do! There's no one more cowardly than someone who dares to hurt a child" Syphus said categorically "And as far as I'm concerned, leaving them alone when they need help is just as bad. Why did the innkeeper not do a thing?!"
"...she tried to, but I told her I was okay" Frisk raised their head "Were you following me?"
Syphus, standing up to disguise the sudden tenseness on their face, opened the wardrobe of the room. There were many things inside, just a few clean blankets and bedsheets piled by color: navy blue and white. Syphus took one of the blankets, passing it to Frisk. "No. I didn't follow you, but a couple hours ago I got worried anything would happen to you. The Underground is dangerous for a..." he lowered his voice as if he expected someone to be listening from the hallway "...a human..." he raised his voice back "...so I decided to try to find you. Is that okay?" Frisk nodded but didn't reply anything further than that. Supposing the talk was over and satisfied Frisk wasn't too hurt, Syphus moved to leave the room.
"I have a room not too far from here. If you need anything don't be afraid to knock at my door, alright? And..." he turned his head around "...and in the morning please wait for me. I insist: you should go with someone. Don't go alone" Frisk still didn't reply.
The piece put his hand on the doorknob and started to close the door. Right when he was about to do it, Frisk finally said something. "Wait!"
Syphus held the door. "Hm?"
Frisk raised their head, smiling slightly "Thank you for helping me"
"It was nothing, don't mention it"
Frisk tries to downplay their gratitude.
The Human Child Social Link has reached Rank 2!
Your power to create Personas of the Fool Arcana has grown!
Syphus's expression lightened up "See you in the morning, Frisk. Sleep well"
Something in that sentence made something click in Frisk's mind. Their smile vanished, replaced by a contemplative expression. "How do you know my name?"
"What do you mean?"
"I haven't told you my name, mister"
The reptile froze. That had been a very stupid mistake, and he knew it. "I...think...it feels like I have met you before. I don't know how..." and that was a very bad excuse, after all, Frisk would know they had never met him before. It was a good idea to go away before he said anything else that could dig a deeper hole, but before doing that he wanted to see Frisk's reaction.
It wasn't what Syphus expected. Instead of recoiling, or shouting something along the lines of 'I don't believe you!', Frisk smiled wryly. "Mister, you're not a very good liar" they said. Syphus blinked, for a moment he thought he had seen a strange glint in Frisk's eyes, but it was gone before he could be sure he had really seen it. Syphus hemmed and hawed for a moment more before closing the door of the room and going towards his own. He really needed to be more careful, this kind of mistakes were unforgivable.
Once Syphus was gone and the door was closed, Frisk laid on the bed, underneath the blanket Syphus had passed them. They stared at the ceiling for a moment before talking very softly, starting a conversation meant only for themselves.
"...What do you think?"
Frisk's face relaxed and turned into a calmer and calculating expression. Although it was the same body and mind, it was a different child on the bed now, someone who was sharing the same body with Frisk. "He knows too much."
"I don't think he's a bad person"
Chara closed their eyes. "I'm not sure if he is, but you shouldn't trust him. If he's not being honest with you there's no reason for you to rely on him."
"I understand. I'll leave early in the morning"
"That's for the best. Besides, I bet he'll find you again"
"Is that bad?"
"I don't know. Keep your guard up"
The next morning Syphus went to Frisk's room and knocked on the door. Receiving no answer, Syphus opened the door slightly, having found it unlocked. There was no one inside. The bed was still unmade, and the window was open. Did they leave through there?! Syphus entered the room and looked out of the window. There were no prints on the snow outside. It was unlikely Frisk had gone out this way. While there was a tree right in front of the window, it was too far away for anyone to jump onto it, too. It was rather unlikely Frisk had randomly decided to leave through the window.
A minute later Syphus met with the innkeeper, who was already behind the counter, and asked if she knew what had happened to Frisk. "The child left not too long ago! They said you were going to follow them shortly. Should I have stopped them?"
Maybe you should have! Then again, it wasn't like the innkeeper could have known. After taking a moment to calm down and remind himself he couldn't blame the innkeeper, Syphus thanked her and left the inn. The innkeeper made a few notes in the guestbook and went upstairs to make sure the rooms Syphus and Frisk occupied were orderly for future guests.
There was nothing wrong with Syphus' bedroom. The innkeeper took the blanket and bedsheets off the bed, intending to pile them with the laundry for later. She opened the wardrobe of the room and took out white and dark blue blanket and bedsheets, replacing the ones she had just taken from the bed.
Once the room Syphus used was well fit for the next guest, the innkeeper went into the room Frisk had used, intending to do the same. When she opened the wardrobe, she noticed there was something wrong. A bit bewildered, she counted the bedsheets and blankets, including the ones on the bed. There was no mistake:
One white bedsheet and one blue blanket were missing from Frisk's room.
-ooooo-
If Frisk had left not too long ago, chances were Syphus could catch up to them soon. After making a SAVE point, just in case he died in some stupid way again in Waterfall, Syphus hurried into that area of the Underground.
When Syphus passed in front of Papyrus and Sans' house, he didn't notice someone watching from the window. "It worked" Frisk murmured, smushing their face against the glass. Just like expected, Syphus had ran into Waterfall, intending to find them. It had been easy to think of a plan. All they did was go to the skeleton brothers' house and knocked at the door.
They hadn't come here just because they wanted to hide. Although escaping from Syphus had been part of the reason they had come here, their motive to come here was because they wanted to create their friendship with Papyrus and Sans. That was going rather well! Papyrus had opened the door, like they had hoped. When he opened the door, Papyrus let out a gasp before glancing for a moment towards Sans' door. Once he was sure Sans was still 'napping' in his room and hadn't heard the door opening, Papyrus talked in a barely passable indoor voice. "A HUMAN IN MY DOORSTEP!"
Papyrus unconsciously rekindled his friendship with Frisk, taking no time at all. As if it had been something he had done a thousand times, Papyrus introduced himself to Frisk, showed Frisk his room, served him badly-cooked spaghetti, and although all they did was 'hanging out', they had quickly turned into as close friends as they had been in countless other timelines.
Despite how well it went, Frisk couldn't avoid feeling there was something off about it all. It took them a while to realize what it was: Papyrus had immediately recognized them as a human, and not only that, he had also tried to keep Sans unaware. Not that it had worked for long! Sans quickly found out about Frisk's presence in the house. When Frisk, sitting on the couch, looked aside for a moment, Sans took the chance to appear on the other side of the couch "paps. did you notice there's a human sitting on our couch?" he had said, his voice perfectly idle as if he was commenting about the sprinkles on the pet rock, and winked in Frisk's direction.
Papyrus, who had been in the kitchen, let a pan fall down in false surprise. "OH! THAT IS STRANGE! I HADN'T NOTICED THERE WAS A HUMAN NEARBY! I THOUGHT IT WAS A ROCK!"
"relax, bro. this is a good human" Sans' response made Papyrus peek from the kitchen and comment he had thought Sans would be more surprised to this. The truth was that Sans was aware Papyrus had been mingling with a human who usually spent time in their shed, but he hadn't considered necessary to intervene in any way. Who was he to tell Papyrus who to mingle with?
Now that Sans was aware of Frisk's presence, Papyrus continued his kitchen adventure with less restraint, making the usual racket Sans was used to. While Papyrus kept going, Sans sank in the couch cushion, content for a moment. Frisk was here, Papyrus was going to get along with Frisk...what else could he ask for? "what took you so long, bucko?"
"...what do you mean?" Frisk tilted their head, opening an eye slightly.
"do you know that feeling when you're watching a tv show and you feel it's that rerun you have watched a thousand time already?" Frisk didn't say anything. They were aware Sans knew of the repeating timelines, or at least seriously suspected there was something afoot, but they never felt brave enough to touch the topic. Being silent was their way of trying to avoid the topic, hopefully without making it obvious they didn't like it.
Sans, watching attentively for any change in Frisk's wooden expression, found himself unable to know if Frisk was familiar with the possibility the timelines were repeating. "well, that's how it felt, as if you should have been here since yesterday. it's a funny feeling, and trust me, i know a lot about funny feelings"
"I still don't know what you're talking about" Good thing Frisk had millennia of practice. By now their face didn't twitch nor they started sweating when Sans brought up that topic.
"nevermind. the name is sans, sans the skeleton. thanks for being my brother's pal"
After a few minutes of talking, the child found out rekindling their friendship with Sans wasn't as easy as it was with Papyrus. Unlike the taller skeleton, Sans was more reserved and didn't really show any interest in Frisk, satisfied with following the flow. Frisk supposed it was no surprise, after all, the start of their friendship was always playing along Papyrus' puzzles. No puzzles meant their friendship wouldn't be as strong as other times, as much as it hurt. "why the hurt face, kiddo?"
"It's nothing" Frisk said with a sigh. May as well ask for something that'd help them feel better and maybe bond with Sans... "I'm going to New Home"
"you want to meet with the king? that's brave of you. no human would go visit a king who wants to take their SOUL" Sans said, making it look like it was no big deal "and what's the problem?"
"I don't know if I'll be safe on the way to New Home" Frisk said. With some luck Sans would get the insinuation and accept to watch over them, like they always did in the other timelines.
Sans stared blankly at Frisk for a moment until something clicked in his head. So that's what they were hinting at! Clever kid. "are you asking me to accompany you?"
"That—"
"i work very hard, kiddo. what would my bosses say if i ditched work just like that?"
"SANS, YOU ALWAYS DO THAT!"
"don't pay attention to the skeleton in the kitchen" Sans patted Frisk on the back "i can't go with you but i can keep an eye socket on you. is that good enough?"
"You promise?" Frisk looked at Sans to the eye sockets, knowing how much Sans hated to make promises. Sans didn't look away or seem uncomfortable, all he did was shrug.
"you ask too much of me. i can't promise that"
Figures. Frisk stared at their shoes, a tad discouraged. It was nice to be Papyrus' friend again, but Sans' reticence was a letdown.
"What did you expect, Frisk? You're just a human kid who appeared in his living room because his brother got him inside, like a dog bringing a bone" Chara said, communicating directly into Frisk's SOUL. Chara felt a bit of a perverse satisfaction at the possibility of Sans staying away, why not to encourage that? Not wanting to start talking to the air right in front of Sans, Frisk excused themselves and went to Papyrus' room, saying they had forgotten something up there, and closed the door behind them.
"Sans is my friend. I must mean something to him"
"Right now you're just a human kid he knows nothing about. Even if he remembers other timelines, what reason does he have to admit it?" Chara said.
"I just..."
"You're lucky he accepted to 'keep an eye socket on you'. Not that it was of much help in other timelines, was it? No, there must be another reason for you to ask him to go with you" Chara's voice acquired a malevolent edge "Be honest with yourself, Frisk. Why do you want Sans to go with you?"
Frisk lowered their eyes. It had been a very long time since the last time Chara had directly attacked Frisk's feelings in any way. They had almost forgotten how much it hurt. Seeing Frisk was unwilling to budge yet, Chara continued pressuring. "Could it be you're wary of that snake monster who has taken a shine to you? If you want that creep to leave you alone then just say that to him"
"No, he's not a problem" Frisk hurried to say "It's just that...I want Sans to go with me"
"Why? Say it already"
"Because that's how it's supposed to go" Frisk said, sounding more certain than they had sounded since arriving to the Underground "I don't like how things are going differently. If that happens...does that mean monsters won't be free? That I won't be their friend, and that...that...it's going to end? Is this the last timeline?" Chara said nothing, so Frisk continued, fretting "I think if I try to make things go like they're supposed to go, it'll all be okay. There must be a way, right?
"...I don't know, Frisk. I'm as lost as you"
That was a bit comforting. "Chara, I...I'm sorry. This timeline is not what I'm used to, but we should keep going, right? We should do our best together."
A curious warmth spread through Frisk's SOUL. "Let's not get sappy, Frisk. You always get sappy when you start saying stuff like that"
"You know you don't mind that" Frisk smiled.
"Shut up"
-ooooo-
Syphus had completely forgotten about his promise to meet with Ananas. It was just by coincidence, in his searching of Frisk, that he came upon her. She wasn't that far from the Hidden Village, but it was further than Syphus felt comfortable with. At least she wasn't alone. Monster Kid came shortly behind her, recognizing the reptile monster from the day before. "Mister! You came!" she greeted when she saw him, running to meet him, but once she was close enough to take a better look she noticed it wasn't the person she was waiting for, or at least she thought that. The new human in the village wasn't this feathered monster, even if they had the same clothing! Stifling a gasp and stepping back with fright, having revealed herself to an unknown monster like this, her hand instinctively reached for the gun on her hip. "I-I'm sorry, I t-t-t-thought you were s-someone else...!"
"Yo, I know him!"
"You do?" Ananas calmed down a bit, whispering to Monster Kid "...is he your dad?"
"What? No! He is...okay, I don't know who he is. But he doesn't seem bad"
"Grandpa always says I shouldn't talk with strange monsters"
Trying to take advantage of Ananas getting distracted, Syphus tried to judge if Frisk had come by, looking behind Ananas. When he was starting to mull how to ask Ananas if she had seen a human, without tipping to Monster Kid there were humans around, Ananas raised her voice. "H-Hey! You! S-Stop right there!"
"What are you doing?!" Monster Kid inquired mutedly. Syphus looked at the little girl. She had stepped forward, making a brave face and trying not look as scared as she felt. She was failing at that. Ananas was trembling lightly and she seemed to be about to run away at any moment, but her eyes were challenging and her hands were tightly curled in fists. She was trying so hard to face what could be a very dangerous and aggressive monster, for all she knew.
"S-Stop wanderin' aroun' here!"
Syphus stood up as tall as possible, glaring at Ananas. "You should go home"
Her trembling diminished a bit, even if she didn't feel any less scared "I'll ha-have to ask you to leave. P-P-Please"
"What are you doing? You'll get in trouble!" Monster Kid urged her to back down, but she just extended her arm and blocked the way in case he wanted to move forward.
"Stay behind me, MK"
"I don't think you have the authority to tell me where I can't go" Syphus said coldly, trying to measure how far Ananas would go in her wish to keep monsters away from the area leading to the Hidden Village. Slowly, he stepped forward just once. Monster Kid backed off, but Ananas stodd her ground. She merely gulped, slowly took out her gun, clutched it as if her life depended on it, and started breathing raggedly. The little girl was barely keeping herself together, Syphus could see she'd like to back off, but she didn't want to.
"What are you doing?!" Ananas' actions were highly alarming! There was no way showing that gun and facing monsters like that would end well!
"Y-Y-You...this is the l-last time I'll say it...please leave p-p-peacefully"
Syphus couldn't avoid wondering how often Ananas did something like this. How many monsters who were simply walking through Waterfall had Ananas tried to drive away from this area? She was trying her best to be the guardian of the Hidden Village, but she was so clearly misguided on how to do that it was matter of time before she made a mistake and got killed, or worse: accidentally revealed the village's location.
Her behavior wasn't smart, and it was extremely reckless. That wasn't a good combination.
You see Ananas' determination and willpower
The Ananas Social Link has reached Rank 2!
Your power to create Personas of the Chariot Arcana has grown!
"...fine" After making a mental note to talk to her about this behavior, Syphus harrumphed and walked away.
"Dude, that was kinda cool..." he heard Monster Kid say to Ananas once Syphus was walking away. Don't encourage her, kid!
"...yeah? I thought I was going to faint..." she replied. That was all Syphus could hear before he was out of hearing range.
-ooooo-
I can't believe I was bamboozled like this! That kid...!
It had been around two hours since Syphus entered Waterfall in pursuit of Frisk. After making a SAVE point just in case, the piece walked through the path he was sure Frisk would take, finding no clue of the child. In fact, a while after encountering Ananas and Monster Kid, it seemed Waterfall had turned eerily empty. All the Royal Guard sentry booths were empty, too, including Sans'. A feeling of heavy dread and a sensation there was something deeply wrong in Waterfall permeated the air. The more time Syphus spent in that place, the more wrong it felt, which in turn made him look for Frisk faster and faster. Where had that kid gone?!
The air was getting colder, too. Syphus clutched the inside of his track jacket, uncomfortable, and tried to think of a new plan. Just when he was about to give up and return to Snowdin to ask if anyone knew where Frisk was, he glimpsed the child he was looking for. Frisk was finally starting their journey through Waterfall! Syphus was running out of time to stop Frisk before they went too far unprotected. Slowly, Syphus started walking in the same direction than Frisk, paying attention what the child was doing.
After a while of walking, Frisk stood near the shore of one of the many ponds in Waterfall, holding their hands in front of them. They seemed to be focusing very hard, as if they were trying to create something out of thin air. Nothing was happening, though. Frisk kept focusing for a minute or two more before sighing and dropping their arms in defeat. "It's not working..." Syphus heard Frisk mutter.
"What's not working?"
Frisk jumped in the air with a yelp, turning around. They seemed rather disheveled again, although this time they weren't clutching anything nor seemed wounded. When they saw it was Syphus again, they straightened up, trying to not to look so messy. "Nothing"
That didn't go unnoticed. "Are you okay, kid? You look like you went through a lot of trouble not too long ago"
"No! Nothing is wrong" Frisk said, looking around. That wasn't a lie, but they weren't feeling very well either.
"Are you trying to do magic?"
The child tilted their head. "Something like that" they started walking away, but they turned their head around once they were a bit far away. There was something nagging at them, and they really wanted to talk it with someone "Want to come with me?"
"Sure!" Syphus joined Frisk. The kid seemed to want to walk around Waterfall aimlessly. At first Syphus thought Frisk had finally wanted his company, but after a while Syphus started to get antsy. "Where are we going?"
"I want some ice cream" Frisk said, and before Syphus could protest by saying he was broke and had no cash to spare, the child showed a lot of gold coins, more than enough for two Nice Cream. Once they found the vendor and got the ice creams, Frisk once again led Syphus through Waterfall, saying there was a bench nearby to sit.
Along the way, they passed in front of Sans' sentry station, where the skeleton was now sitting. When Frisk passed by Sans waved at him cheerfully, gesture Frisk returned. Syphus instead got an unreadable stare, something Syphus chose to interpret as a warning, even if he didn't know what was going through Sans' head right then. As soon as Sans was out of sight, Frisk's shoulders slumped, their previous cheerfulness now gone. Sans being there was nice – he really was trying to take care of Frisk, in a way – but to Frisk it didn't feel like it was enough to calm themselves down. In a way, it was a reminder of everything that was different, but they still wanted to cling onto Sans' presence as a sign things would be okay.
It wasn't long before they found the bench. Sitting there and unpacking the Nice Cream, Syphus decided to tackle the elephant in the room. "So, what's in your mind?" Frisk focused on their own Nice Cream, as if that was going to be enough to make Syphus change the topic. "That's not going to work. I know there's something worrying you. Look, I can't force you to tell me, but I wouldn't mind listening to you if you want it"
There was silence once again, but this time it felt like there was something beneath it, a wish to actually talk. As if to gain time, Frisk looked around, and found the discarded and slashed training dummy to the side of the bench. The child took it out from where it had fallen and put it to their side, trying to distract themselves by picking into the slash marks on the dummy, but once it was clear Syphus wasn't going to say anything else and didn't seem like he was losing his patience, Frisk decided to talk. "What do you do if...you want to do something and you can't do it anymore?"
"Uh, I'm not sure I understand, Frisk"
"What would you do if you forgot how to do something? Like, one moment you know how to brush your teeth and then the next moment you don't?"
Syphus bit his Nice Cream. "I don't know. I think I'd try to remember, if it's easy to do"
"And if you try to remember and it still doesn't work?"
"Then I'd try again, and again, and again, until I finally can remember how to brush my teeth" Syphus shook his head "And if that didn't work, then what I would do is...well, I'd try to continue forward. Maybe I don't need to brush my teeth ever again. I'd be willing to try to go on without that"
"I can't just go on without that!" Frisk suddenly exclaimed "If I can't remember how to do that, then I could—I could die permanently-" Frisk blurted out before shoving their Nice Cream in their mouth as if that were going to shut them up. Syphus stared at them for a moment, starting to understand what was Frisk's concern.
You're starting to see what Frisk's worries are.
The Human Child Social Link has reached Rank 3!
Your power to create Personas of the Fool Arcana has grown!
Of course. Only the person with the most Determination can SAVE and LOAD. Since Syphus currently had that power, it made sense Frisk wouldn't be able to do it. "Whatever you're trying to do...you don't have to do it alone. There are people willing to help you"
"It's not something others can help me with" Frisk said, getting off the bench.
"Are you sure about that? Friends and people who want to help you don't need to know what's going on. You can tell them as much as you want"
"I don't know" this was way too complicated and new for Frisk to be sure how to feel. All they knew was that the future was looking quite daunting. The kid seemed conflicted between being determined and being desperate "All I know for sure is that I should keep going, even if I'm...
...even if I'm scared"
"What are you scared of?" Syphus asked, receiving no answer. Geez, kid...I wish you were a bit more open. "Fine, don't answer that. Instead tell me: are you doing what you want to do?"
"I know I want it!" Frisk stood up. Their voice had turned a tad rougher "This is what anyone would do, I have done this many times already. I have to try again. I won't give up. I'm not going to die. I won't...
...I won't die..."
Syphus didn't say anything. He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to think of what to say. Once he ordered his thoughts he started. "Frisk, I can't say I know how you fe—where are you going?!" Frisk was already continuing their way. Syphus stood up immediately, leaving the training dummy on the bench, and followed Frisk from a distance. "Look, Frisk, I beg you: think it twice, okay? Don't just keep going! It won't end well!"
"You know nothing" 'Frisk' spat, not even bothering to turn around.
"I know enough to know you need to stop! Please, consider it! There must be some other way!"
"There's no other way!"
"This is ridiculous, you just—" Syphus grabbed his head, forcing himself to calm down "You don't understand a thing!"
"...creep"
"What?!"
"You don't belong here" 'Frisk' turned their head around, an ugly expression of disdain in their face "I don't know who you are or what you want. Stay away! Leave me alone!"
That was the truth. Syphus truly didn't belong there, and he knew it. Getting such truth thrown against his face like that was still painful, though, even more when it came from that child. Syphus slowly stopped on his tracks, confused and unsure. Satisfied that Syphus had stopped, Frisk continued getting away.
That was it. He had ruined it. This had been pretty much the last chance Syphus had to convince Frisk to stop and don't go towards what could be their death, and he had screwed up. The feeling of wrongness in the air increased even more, an unpleasant thickness permeating the atmosphere. "...no. I can't just give up now. One last try!" quickly gathering his wits and will to stop Frisk, Syphus followed the path Frisk had taken, trying to reach them before the child got too close to where Undyne was supposedly writing.
It wasn't long before Syphus had to cross a field of Echo Flowers. The strange blue flowers were as tall as he was, and if he focused he could swear there was a faint murmur emanating from them, murmurs he wasn't interested enough to find out what exactly those were saying. The tall flowers didn't help find out where exactly Frisk had gone, too. Right when Syphus had been about to finish crossing the field of Echo Flowers, he heard the voice of that child, loud and clear.
"Hey! Behind you!"
Syphus turned around immediately. There were only Echo Flowers behind him, no sign of Frisk besides that voice. "...Frisk?"
"Hey! Behind you!" the voice repeated, echoing. Syphus very slowly started crossing the field of Echo Flowers again, trying to pinpoint where it had come from. The more time it took, the more times Frisk's words repeated, until he realized what was going on. Set off by that first call, the flowers absorbed the same sentence, announcing it just as loud and clear as if had been the first time. "Hey! Behind you!" The phrase repeated over and over, increasing in quantity until the entire field was a cacophony of the same three words, the words blurring together, turning into an unintelligible jumbled mess. Syphus spun, searched over the flowers, tried to ignore the increasingly confusing echoing, but there was nothing he could do. I have to get out of here before I turn mad! Frightened and covering his ears, Syphus ran out of the field of Echo Flowers, returning the way he had come from.
Frisk had successfully escaped. All Syphus could do now was wait near Undyne and hope for the best.
-ooooo-
Sans leaned against the wall, wiping the red paint off his phalanges on his hoodie. He had just finished painting the rim of the telescope with the paint, a little practical prank for Frisk once he passed by.
Just like he expected, Frisk entered the area. "i'm thinking about getting into the telescope business" Sans said once Frisk was close enough "it's normally 50000 gold to use this premium telescope, but...since i know you, you can use it for free. howzabout it? "
Frisk gave a tired smile and shook their head. Thankfully, they had met no monster since they entered Waterfall – something they thought was a bit strange, but at least it meant they weren't in mortal danger yet – but their encounter with Syphus had left them a tad discouraged. They just weren't in mood to play along with Sans' fun right now.
"you okay, kiddo?"
Telling Sans what was going on wasn't something Frisk wanted to go, so they instead nodded. The skeleton suspected the cause of their disheartened behavior, though. "hey. whatever that guy said to you, don't take it to heart. i'm sure it's not as big of a deal as it sounded like"
"Do you really mean that?"
"you need to learn to take everything in stride, like i do" it wasn't a healthy behavior at all, but it worked for Sans.
Frisk smiled tiredly again and continued their way. This section of Waterfall was rather short. Frisk rounded the corner, so Sans immediately vanished and moved to the next corner Frisk would go through. The child would be surprised when they saw how quick he had moved! Sans calculated Frisk would turn the corner in a minute, so he leaned against the wall and prepared for the moment Frisk questioned how he got there so soon.
The minute passed, and Frisk didn't arrive. Well, maybe they're just dilly-dalling. No big deal. Another minute, another more...after ten minutes Sans started wondering if something had gone wrong. Maybe Frisk had turned around and gone back to Waterfall. Still, there was something...off about this delay. Something was wrong. Sans had a bad feeling about it all.
With some hesitation, Sans peered down the corner, looking at the short corridor that connected where he was standing to where he left the telescope. There was no sign of Frisk. "kiddo?" There was no response.
There were few benefits from having a mostly static grin on his face all the time, but not showing certain emotions was one of them, like the slight worry that was slowly worming into him. Sans stepped into the corridor, looking at the ground for any signs Frisk had passed by. There was nothing, just blue rocks, but in middle of the corridor he found a narrow tunnel that led to a small round alcove. It was dimly illuminated, the areas near the walls so dark Sans could barely see the outlines of the rocks near the walls, but despite the darkness Sans could see something on the floor near the furthest wall, something white and lumpy. "...kid, are you hiding here?" Sans raised his voice, sounding as idle as usual. There was still no response. Sans puts his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and entered the alcove, walking to the shape.
It was child-sized, completely unmoving, and covered with a white bedsheet. Sans pushed it slightly with his foot, finding it to be a bit malleable. There was definitely something underneath. Why would Frisk be hiding underneath a bedsheet in a place like this? "now, now, you should stand up already" Sans chuckled and removed the bedsheet.
Rocks. It was just a big pile of rocks, big enough for Sans to think it could have been the human child. Had Frisk done this? There was something on the rocks, though: an Echo Flower. Sans dropped the bedsheet on part of the pile of rocks and grabbed the flower, flipping it around with his phalanges and finding nothing off with it. Since it seemed it wouldn't be dangerous, he put it closer to his face to listen if it would say anything.
Hey! Behind you!
"...huh?"
Sans listened to the message again. That was Frisk's voice. He hadn't talked with the human child for long, but he was sure he'd be able to recognize their voice accurately. Behind you? Should he turn around? Sans turned around, expecting to find nothing.
Instead he found Frisk. The child was limp on the ground, unresponsive.
"what...?" Sans dropped the flower and hurried to Frisk, turning them around to see their face. The child was unconscious, and although Sans tried to wake them up gently, they didn't react at all. "kid. kid, wake up. come on" Sans pleaded, patting softly Frisk's face. Alarmed, Sans quickly checked to see if Frisk had any wounds. The child was alive, that much he was sure of, but why were they unconscious? There were no wounds on their head, nothing that could show they had been knocked out violently. All Sans could find was a small bruise on the lowest point of the base of their neck, partially hidden by the collar of their sweater.
Carefully lifting the child, Sans prepared to teleport to Snowdin, planning to lie Frisk on the couch and wait for them to wake up, but right when the skeleton lifted them, he saw something else that wasn't there before: another Echo Flower, near the threshold of the short tunnel that connected the alcove to the corridor. After adjusting Frisk in his arms, Sans approached the flower. He fumbled with Frisk, not wanting to leave the child down on the ground, and after a bit of trouble he managed to pick the flower up.
Hey! Behind you!
"again?"
Two Echo Flowers with the exact same message. For a moment Sans considered not doing what the flower said, but a morbid sense of curiosity spurred him to at least take a look behind him. Once again, something had appeared.
There was someone – or something – underneath a dark blue blanket. The only thing he could tell for sure is that it couldn't be a pile of rocks. Fed up with what seemed to be teasing from someone, Sans aimed his palm towards the figure underneath the blanket. A bone made of magic sprung from the ground, grazing the figure and hooking onto the blanket. The bone extended tall and long, raising the blanket away from whatever had been underneath.
It was a training dummy, and a rather abused one, at that. It had two noticeable gashes, and there were short branches inserted in them, mimicking extended arms. Frustrated, Sans quickly entered the alcove again, looking around. He saw no one that could have placed the dummy underneath the blanket. Having seen enough and wanting to put Frisk in a safe place as soon as possible, Sans made the bone vanish and immediately moved to Snowdin, appearing inside his house's living room with Frisk. He was sure someone was toying with him back in Waterfall, but how? There had been no one other than Frisk there!
It didn't matter right now, though. Frisk was unconscious and didn't seem bound to waking up anytime soon.
What had happened in the few minutes Frisk had stepped out of Sans' sight?
CHECK IN ZERO MOVES.
CHECK.
The main Persona elements of this story are finally starting! I'm rather excited for that.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Fool - Frisk - RANK 3
Magician - ? - RANK 0
Priestess - ? - RANK 0
Empress - Toriel - RANK 2
Emperor - Cohen - RANK 1
Hierophant - ? - RANK 0
Lovers - ? - RANK 0
Chariot - Ananas - RANK 2
Justice - ? - RANK 0
Hermit - ? - RANK 0
Fortune - ? - RANK 0
Strength - ? - RANK 0
Hanged Man - ? - RANK 0
Death - Cornio - RANK 1
Temperance - ? - RANK 0
Devil - ? - RANK 0
Tower - ? - RANK 0
Star - Lucia - RANK 1
Moon - ? - RANK 0
Sun - Papyrus - RANK 1
Judgment - ? - RANK 0
Aeon - Syphus - RANK 1
Jester - Alphonse - RANK 1