(28)
The rest of the group's walk through Waterfall ended up being much quieter than it started off, mostly thanks to Charly curbing his need to ask Leontius questions. Of course, the undead and Suzy were not quite conversation starters either, so the group walked in relative silence. In Leontius' case, it didn't help that he was still somewhat bothered by the strange man-monster-thing from earlier.
It was when the group walked through the room with the 'bridge seeds' that Charly eventually did come up with a question he wanted to ask Leontius, brought on by the undead assisting him with lifting the weighed-down cart across obstacles like the tall grassy patches or watery gaps in the path. "So Leontius, you seem like a big, strong type'a guy. Ever done any kind of training? You humans might not have boxing, but are there at least any fighting sports or training up there?"
It took Leontius some quiet digging through his memory to come up with an answer to that, it also brought him a realization about himself. "Well, there certainly are plenty of fighting disciplines, many armed and likely just as many unarmed. I know the nobles of the knightly class trained in grappling extensively, but I do not believe there were ever any professional fights like you described. As for myself, I am really quite inexperienced with unarmed fighting. Most of my "training,'' if you could even call it that, has been with various types of magic and large two-handed swords, like this one." He patted the gold-plated crossguard of his sheathed claymore for effect.
Another patch of the tall grass was ahead, so Suzy hopped out of the cart to let the two adults lift it above the patch to ensure it didn't get stuck. Once through they set the cart down for her to reseat herself and were continuing on once more. The group passed over the first waterfall of the cavern (which was thankfully no longer tossing rocks about) and were just about into Snowdin.
After a bit of deliberation, Charly continued his inquiry. "So never learned how to throw a quality punch, huh?"
Leontius shook his head at that. He never really needed to learn much in the way of unarmed combat in the world above, finding a weapon to use wasn't exactly difficult. His first weapon after walking out of his cell in the Asylum was typically a makeshift wooden club made out of a hefty table leg from an operating theater near the cellblock. After that he'd find something more substantial and start getting better equipment, often ending up with an arming sword until he managed to make it to the charred corpse of the undead who held the claymore in his grasp. That was one of his set paths throughout almost all cycles, the greatsword at his side had been there for countless ages across all of them.
Just as the three finally made it out of the cavern and into Snowdin, Charly decided to pitch an offer to Leontius. "How's about this. You drop by our place sometime tomorrow after we get moved in, and I'll learn ya how to punch like a pro. Yeah, I might be old and not in prime shape anymore, but I still know my moves, and I can teach ya. Sound good?"
While he was unsure if he would actually have need of such techniques now that he had recalled the Dark Hand power, Leontius wouldn't turn an offer like that down. After all, it couldn't hurt to learn more. "I suppose getting some experience with unarmed techniques would be wise, it is something I am lacking skill in. I accept your offer, Charly."
The reptile monster gave Leontius a pleased smirk. "Arr'ight! I'll get to see just how strong you humans can be, huh? Not gonna lie, I'm actually kinda looking forward to that. Grew up hearing stories from my dad and grandpa about how insanely strong humans are, mostly stories passed down from my great-great-great-great… great… uh… a real old ancestor. He fought in the war we had with you guys all that time ago, and before he died he told his war stories to his son, and those got passed down all the way to me."
Leontius noticed that Charly didn't seem all that phased about mentioning the war, it almost seemed like it was just a casual thing to the reptilian monster. "I suppose you will see if there is any truth behind the tales, then. I am somewhat curious to hear some of these myself." While he couldn't say much considering the war occurred in a forgotten time, he very much doubted the people back then could empower themselves through soul reinforcement as undead can.
The group was now just outside the housing area. Charly looked about the grid of homes, then back to Leontius. "Alright, so our house is the one in the far corner there. You come on by any time tomorrow, or if that doesn't work for you just come by whenever. It was nice meeting ya, and thanks for helping us through Waterfall. Probably would'a been stuck there for a while, if that one weirdo local was anything to go on."
Leontius looked through the grid of homes, giving a slight nod as he spotted the house Charly mentioned, replying as he did so. "Think nothing of it. It was nice to meet you and your daughter, and I hope Snowdin is to your liking. Farewell."
Charly gave a wave to the undead as he pulled the cart and Suzy into the housing area, the girl only looking back at the human momentarily before turning away again.
With the monsters leaving for their house, Leontius made his way around the houses and to the path to Toriel's home. As he walked down the side of the plateau, he couldn't help but ponder his situation in general, seeing as it'd changed so drastically. He'd gone from being just another eroded undead wandering about the surface to living in a still-standing kingdom, becoming its impromptu defender, and now finally being able to do something as tame and normal as have an evening dinner. An evening dinner with a woman. A monster woman. A monster woman he was actually rather fond of.
He slowed a bit when that thought crossed his mind, then came to a complete halt as Toriel's home came into view.
He idly twisted a foot into the snow as he looked upon the lit up house, his earlier concerns about the strange man were completely forgotten, replaced with a new source of apprehension. While he was a man reshaped and molded by the fallen surface, he at least recalled some things about his society, basic things that a man simply learns.
It'd slipped his mind thanks to his preoccupation with the Ruins, but having a scheduled dinner with a woman was one such thing, it was not exactly a casual matter and had some implications about one's relationship with the woman in question. In addition, there was the fact that he'd been led to believe that she may harbor some degree of feelings for him as well…
He kept walking, still thinking the whole while. He was uncertain if monster society viewed a man and woman planning a dinner quite like his did, and there was also the fact that Asriel would be there as well. He felt some of his nervousness dissipate, it was likely not the issue he was making it out to be, he was just a guest in their home attending a regular dinner, nothing more.
He couldn't help but feel a pang in his still heart at that self-assurance.
He now stood before the home's front door, glancing at his still unlit bonfire as he wiped the snow off his boots on the doormat. He was glad he didn't have to rely on the bonfire's resurrection during the battle with the Pursuer, hollowing wasn't exactly pretty.
He shoved the possible death out of his mind then opened the door and stepped inside, not bothering with knocking considering he'd been invited. He was greeted for the first time by the sight of what the now fully-furnished home looked like to a visitor stepping in, Toriel's earlier scrupulous decoration process certainly paid off. The monster herself was in the home's kitchen cooking when she heard Leontius enter.
Toriel looked away from her task at the kitchen counter to see who'd entered her home, smiling when she saw who it was. "Ah! Good evening Leontius." After Leontius closed the door behind himself and walked through the living room to the dining area, Toriel joined him as he flipped his hood back and took his gear belt off, laying it atop a chair set aside next to the dining table.
"Good evening Toriel," he greeted back, while looking about the house, seemingly expecting something, or rather, someone. "I suppose I am early for dinner?"
Toriel nodded to him, still giving him a warm smile. "Yes, but not by too much. It actually works out, you will get to try on your…" She took note of something off about his outfit, her gaze eventually fixating on his perforated sleeve, her smile dropping as she noticed the small flecks of dried blood still stuck to the edges of the holes. "...Were you hurt again, Leontius?" She approached him and reached out to touch his sleeve, but hesitated and a sudden sense of dread overcame her. "It was not another from the surface was it?"
Leontius brushed a hand against the holes in his sleeve, vainly attempting to hide them from the concerned woman as he responded. "No, no… nothing that serious. Really, it was my fault, if I had not been so impatient-"
Toriel's dread fell back to concern, then to a slight hint of anger as she interrupted him. "What? You would not have been attacked? If it was not a surfacer, then it was a monster. Who was it? I will have this sorted out, and you will get an apology by the end of it."
Leontius held a hand out placatingly in an attempt to calm Toriel, she was beginning to get worked up in a manner he'd only seen when she was arguing with Asgore. "That is unnecessary, Toriel. It was an issue I brought upon myself, and I cannot blame the one who did it. Besides that, I am entirely fine. It is of no consequence to me." He pressed the sleeve against his arm, exposing his completely healed skin beneath the holes to better illustrate his point.
Toriel held his arm and examined it closely for a moment, still not liking the sight of the dried blood around the perforations and still somewhat caked on his skin. She withdrew, no longer angry but still looking peeved. "...Very well. You look to be perfectly well, but you cannot eat dinner while covered in blood…" She went to a short dividing wall between the kitchen and dining area, picking up Leontius' bundle of mended clothing she'd set on it then presented it to him. "Here, your clothes. I did my best to fix them, I also cleaned them as well."
The undead accepted the bundle, holding it under his previously injured arm, which was experiencing a distracting influx of warmth from Toriel's quick examination. "Thank you. I… suppose I will have to get clean of this blood, then." He briefly glanced about the home, still noting that he had yet to see Asriel anywhere, but he didn't comment.
Toriel understood his implication and pointed down the hallway. "The bathroom is just down the hall, it will be the second door on your right. Go ahead and get washed and changed out of that outfit, dinner should be done once you are finished." Her demeanor had all but lost its annoyed edge, she was starting to return to just being happy he was visiting.
Leontius nodded and went to the hallway door she'd mentioned, finding an immaculately clean and mostly white colored bathroom inside. A large mirror sat against a wall with a sink built atop a set of cabinets beneath it. A large tub of sorts was on the right side of the room, covered by an opaque gray curtain.
He closed the door behind himself and set his bundled clothes on the flat surface of the sink, then got to taking off the damaged imported clothes. Once he was out of them he again found himself examining his reflection in a mirror.
His body lacked scars for the most part thanks to the effects of Estus and rebirth, all he had were old wounds that would have been from before he'd become an undead, the most prominent being the scars from the sword thrusts he'd taken from that soldier who'd killed him all those centuries ago. Other than that, he could have sworn he seemed a little more… filled out. By the looks of it, the monster food he'd been eating was indeed doing his body some good, he no longer looked quite as emaciated.
After he was done checking himself over, he stepped into the bath and began attempting to figure out how to work it. It was much simpler than the devices in Alphys' lab, consisting only of a pair of knobs and a small pull-switch, so he got to showering in little time at all. The dried blood came off easily enough and was chased down the drain by relatively little in the way of filth stuck to him, most of it being an amount of soot from wandering about Hotland. Undead, especially when in human form, aren't exactly producers of their own dirtiness. An absence of bodily functions saw to that, a lack of sweating made it difficult for dirt and the like to stick, and rebirth produced forms practically free of any contaminants.
That isn't to say Leontius' shower was brief, this was the first time he'd experienced such a luxury in quite a long time and he felt like enjoying it, at least for a little while. Once he was done and dried off he was entirely clean, and his longish hair was much tamer than before. He then undid the bundle of clothes and got his normal clothing together, leaving his traveling set folded up.
From the looks of it, Toriel had certainly done a good job with them. His white long sleeve undershirt and matching beige overshirt had been stitched and patched up quite well, and the string ties on both the overshirt and his dark gray pants had been replaced, which was good considering the old strings were either on their last legs or had gone missing entirely at some point. His leather boots, which were now separated from his traveling gear's reinforcements, had also been touched up and restrung. Overall his clothes had better color, were free of any stains or holes, and smelled faintly of flowers. Odd, but not unpleasant.
Now clean and dressed, Leontius left the bathroom and walked back into the dining area, the remaining bundle of clothes under his arm once more. Most of the lights had been turned off, and the fireplace was lit in their place. Toriel was currently setting the table, and as he set his clothes next to the rest of his gear, Leontius realized she was only preparing two spots at the table, both across from one another.
At first he was somewhat confused, but that quickly passed when he remembered he'd yet to see Asriel at all during the visit. He decided to finally voice his concern on that. "Is Asriel not joining us for dinner? I have not seen him at all tonight."
Toriel kept laying out the silverware and moved aside the table's potted plant as she answered. "Well... Asriel would have joined us, but he was rather excited about wanting to show Asgore how he was growing and insisted we visit him today. I was going to tell him no because of tonight's plans, but Undyne paid us a visit before I could give him my answer. I let her in, and she immediately opened up with an apology. I was confused at first, but she quickly made it clear that you had sent her to make up for wounding me in Waterfall..." She gave Leontius a knowing look after that and started walking into the kitchen, the undead following her.
Toriel continued, now setting out the ready food on the counter and getting plates and bowls down from the cupboard. "I forgave her, having almost forgotten the incident myself… she accepted but asked if there was anything she could do for the 'former queen' -as she put it- in recompense. So there I was with the captain of the Royal Guard offering me a favor, and Asriel asking me to take him to Asgore. I did not want to call off our dinner to take him, so I asked Undyne if she could take Asriel to his father in my stead as his chaperone. She agreed to do so and the two left at around noon, then it was decided that Asriel would be staying there for the night, so…" She turned once everything on the counter was set out, giving Leontius a smile as she did so. "...It is just the two of us."
"...Ah." Leontius' earlier apprehension came back again, but he managed to fight it down. "...So what have you prepared for just us, then?"
If Toriel noticed Leontius' nervousness, she didn't show it. She gestured to the food arrayed atop the counter in their containers and described them all, giving him that warm look the whole while. "I noticed that you seemed to… enjoy… Papyrus' cooking, so I decided I would prepare a good amount of spaghetti. I also made a vegetable stew and garlic bread for the side." She made room for him to get his portions, moving over to the stovetop which had a still-steaming pie in its tin atop it.
She lit a few minuscule fires about a hand and hovered it carefully above the confection, so as to only heat it somewhat and not burn it. "As for your request for a pie as dessert, I admit I was somewhat unsure about what kind of pie to make. You seemed to like my snail pie, but I know that is not popular with most. It was merely what I had on hand at the time ingredient-wise when I found you. Now, my butterscotch pie, on the other hand, was once quite well-known, and it was a favorite of guests. I decided on that, but I got the inclination to try to… well, branch out, do something new with it. So, I made a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. It is my first attempt at such a thing, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless." She moved it off the stovetop over to the counter and began getting together her own share of the food.
Leontius caught the pie's scent, and it was almost enough to calm his rising nerves. He was certain it was one of the best things he'd ever smelled. "It certainly smells enticing…"
Her bowl now full of stew and her plate laden with pasta and bread, Toriel turned to leave the kitchen, addressing the undead's comment as she went. "It should be well and cooled off by the time we finish the main course."
Leontius quietly followed after her and took his seat at the table across from her, choosing the one against the wall with his gear- and sword- next to it. Just in case, of course.
Old habits die hard.
vvv
The meal started off mostly quiet between the two. Leontius was absolutely absorbed with enjoying the food. He was definitely starting to see the lack of appeal Papyrus' spaghetti had now, Toriel's cooking absolutely put it to shame. The taste the pasta had was incredible, flavors entirely new to him abounded, he wondered if she'd gotten a hold of spices of some kind. He recalled nobles and royalty having such luxuries imported from the East, but he'd never actually tasted them. The stew and garlic bread were excellent as well, altogether he could safely say this was the best food he'd had yet, all of it was a good bit ahead of the food he'd had in Grillby's.
His somewhat active nerves calmed considerably during the meal, and while he had rather poor table manners Toriel took no issue, contentedly enjoying the dinner and the man's company.
About halfway through the meal, Leontius began to slow down on his assault on the food and began to notice that Toriel had slowed her progress as well, seeing that she was occasionally stealing glances at him out of his peripheral vision. At first he didn't comment on it, but she eventually began to take increasingly longer pauses, causing him to feel the need to speak up.
He swallowed his current mouthful of stew, the still quite novel feeling of magical absorption just as refreshing as ever. He then glanced up at Toriel, catching her in one of her bouts of quiet staring. She had been idly playing with her fork, looking at him with half-lidded eyes and a slight smile before looking away as his gaze met hers. "Is… something the matter, Toriel?"
The monster woman glanced back at him with a look of curiosity. "Hmm? Oh, I was just… thinking."
Leontius set his spoon back into his bowl of stew but didn't prepare to take another spoonful, still looking at Toriel. "About?"
Toriel looked about for a bit, her gaze landing on Leontius' previously-injured arm for a moment before she continued. "Ah, well… I was just wondering. I know you wanted me to drop the issue of you being injured, but I am still curious as to what exactly you did while you were out. It was nothing inherently dangerous, was it?"
Leontius sat back in his chair, not wanting to be rude by talking while eating. "No, nothing not of my own creation, at least. I met with Sans and Undyne to discuss the matter of the intruding surfacers and left to check the Ruins… which are quite damaged. No doorways went unspared, and your house was thoroughly demolished. In other words, there is nothing keeping surfacers from just walking through the Ruins if they fall down."
Toriel looked rather unsettled by that. "I suppose it was lucky that I sent you to move my things for me, but the Ruins being open… that means we could very well be in danger right now, and not even know it…"
"Perhaps, but I did find something just inside the exit that could assist in knowing whether or not we are." He leaned over to the chair with his gear sitting atop it and pulled the Red Eye Orb from its pouch, noticing that the Blue Eye Orb was still wide open as he did so.
He ignored the blue sphere as well as the thoughts of the strange man it brought up and set the Red Eye Orb on the table for Toriel to look at. The crimson sphere's eye was still closed shut.
Toriel looked at the orb curiously, unsure if she wanted to touch it or not. "What… is it?"
Leontius turned the orb about so that the closed eye was facing him. "A Red Eye Orb. It was among the ashen remains of one of the intruders. If another undead is nearby, the eye opens and it allows you to send a red phantom avatar to attack them. It has quite the range, and as you can see…" He turned it around for her to look closer. "...it is inactive, so at the very least no other undead are near."
Toriel frowned somewhat at that implication. "But other… things… that are not undead could be?"
Leontius thought on that for a bit, dropping the orb back into the pouch before answering. "Potentially, but the area around the mountain seemed devoid of anything dangerous. In all your years watching for humans in the Ruins, something like a demon could have fallen in, but none have. And, additionally, I… will be honest. I believe those two surfacers came here solely because of me. Kirk, the one who had that orb, constantly stalks me on my adventures and wanderings. He seemingly has a vendetta against me and must have followed me here. The Pursuer, the one that strange River Person warned me about, could very well have been following either of us from the air, carried aloft by that gigantic bird of his... he tended to target undead like that." He absent-mindedly reached for his last piece of garlic bread, munching on it while looking somewhat troubled.
Toriel gave him a sympathetic look at that, her slight smile from earlier returning. "And yet you managed to handle them, and the Underground is still safe. You did not bring them here on purpose, and when a problem presented itself you immediately took action. Do not blame yourself, Leontius. You saved many lives."
Leontius finished off the bread, he was fraught with new uncertainty and self-doubt, had he never come here, the Underground would have likely never had been presented with the threat in the first place. This place's isolation kept it safe, and he'd undermined that.
Toriel was still giving him that look, and it made him feel torn, like he should accept that he did something good, but he still felt as though he was responsible for leading them here. He swallowed the last of his bread and stared at his folded hands on the table, not quite able to meet Toriel's gaze. "I… suppose you are right."
Toriel looked pleased with his acceptance, relaxing in her chair a bit more. "Well, the issue of the Ruins can be resolved rather easily, if we contact Asgore about it he could most likely get it dealt with."
Leontius finally looked back up at her. "That was another thing I set out to handle earlier, actually. I decided to go speak with Alphys about some things and got her to send a message to Asgore with her cell phone. Workers will be dispatched to thoroughly seal off the Ruins, likely for good this time, and I will be heading to the surface some time tomorrow to close up the opening in the mountain that leads into them. After that, hopefully, this place will remain safe."
Toriel gave the man a wider smile, impressed with his initiative. "Ah, see? You even got around to addressing that in a timely manner. The people of the Underground may not yet know it, but you have been doing your best to keep them safe from what is above, from getting the Ruins sorted out to ensuring their king did not do something reckless."
Leontius was quiet for a couple of seconds, now idly twisting his fork around in the pasta slowly. "I also found out that word has spread about me, and quite quickly at that."
Toriel began to continue to eat as well, taking small portions so as to not be stuck chewing if she needed to respond. "You have heard good things, I would hope?"
Leontius finally picked up the pasta on his fork and practically swallowed it whole before answering. "...For the most part, yes. They are still vague rumors, and it seems many people do not yet fully recognize me as the human they have heard about. I believe Asgore has yet to tell the people of the recent events."
Another small bite and Toriel was a little bit closer to catching up to Leontius in terms of progress on the pasta. "I suppose that makes sense, considering he would likely want to save that for the monthly address, which will be taking place in two days' time, actually."
Leontius set his fork down then leaned forward and rested his arms on the table, looking at nothing in particular. "I am somewhat concerned about what everyone's reaction might be, learning that they will never get to the surface, that the souls are gone… and what they will think if, or perhaps, when Asgore solidly confirms that I am indeed living amongst them."
Toriel leaned forward as well, getting Leontius to look at her as she did so. "Well, if I were someone just learning about you and your deeds, I would likely be thankful for what you have done, perhaps I would even come to admire you…" She then gave him the exact look she'd been sporting earlier, her half-lidded red eyes and smile catching his undivided attention. "Of course, you already have my admiration. You are a defender of my people, and a hero to my son... and to me."
Leontius could only quietly gaze back at Toriel, his mind again filled with the same thoughts from earlier, yet he found that he was no longer nervous about them. She had just said it then and there. He slowly straightened up in his chair, the monster woman before him still giving him that look, all while she was framed by the orange light of the fireplace behind her. Had his heart been functional, it would have been pounding in his chest. In its place, he felt that rising sensation of warmth, his cold form coming alive with that soothing energy as he gazed steadily into her ruby red eyes.
Before Leontius could gather his thoughts enough to say anything, Toriel broke their gaze, looking down at the remaining food before him. "You look to be quite close to finishing your dinner. I will go get the pie cut up while you finish what you have left." She still had that look about her as she got up from the table and went to the kitchen, casting one last glance at Leontius before she disappeared behind the dividing wall.
Leontius turned his attention to polishing off the meal, though his mind was focused not on the food, but solely on the woman in the other room. She saw him as a hero. Her hero. Not a single thing he could recall in his expansive existence even came close to equating what he was feeling right now. In almost no time at all he'd devoured the rest of the food and sitting still with his hands curled together before him, his mind awash with all manner of thoughts and a single emotion, one made scarce in the world above.
Happiness. Genuine fulfillment and contentment.
It was something no undead acknowledged they were searching for, yet they all sought it in the end, but the world above had too many things arrayed between the broken people and their true end goal. He was one of the broken granted reprieve. He had food, friends, clean and mended clothes, a home, purpose, his faculties, many of his memories, and all of it was either a direct or partial result of him meeting Toriel. On top of all of that, she'd just validated what he'd been feeling towards her. She saw him as something more.
He couldn't help but smile at that.
His thoughts were brought back to reality when Toriel returned from the kitchen, fresh plates and cutlery in one hand and the pie in the other.
She noticed he'd managed to wolf down the rest of his meal as she set the dinnerware and pie on the table, looking slightly impressed at the feat. "I suppose I was correct earlier, the pie should be at the perfect temperature and you have finished up the main course just in time." She divvied up the pie, sliding Leontius' sizable portion of six slices across the table, while she only had two pieces on her plate.
Leontius pulled the plate over to his side, accepting it from Toriel. He couldn't help but comment on the difference in their portion sizes. "You are fine with me having this much?"
Toriel sat down as she answered, getting comfortable once more. "Of course, I am quite close to being full, and besides…" She cut off a small piece of the pie with her fork and held it up. "I always preferred snail pie." She then popped the piece into her mouth, chewing it with a thoughtful expression and swallowing. "Though, this seems quite good." She pointed her fork to Leontius' portion. "Give it a try."
Leontius needed little convincing, silently cutting off a large but still manageable piece of pie and chomping down on it. The flavor he was hit with was almost overwhelming to the man's long-dulled palate, it was just so much at once, a perfect balance of sweetness and texture…
"It…" He slowly swallowed the pie, savoring every second of it. "It is amazing..." He actually had to set his fork down to think on what he'd just tasted, but he found the effort pointless, he couldn't find the words to effectively describe it. He just ate another piece, and then another, slowly picking up his pace, but not going too fast.
Toriel gave the man a pleased smile and got to eating as well, the two once more settling back into their meals with a quiet atmosphere reigning again.
Despite his best efforts, Leontius found that he couldn't make the pie last as long as he wanted, it was just irresistible. After pushing aside his empty dinnerware, he just sat and enjoyed the tingly feeling of the monster food absorbing into him. It was then his attention was once more solely on Toriel, who was still getting through her dinner and dessert.
She wasn't paying much attention to him, but she still seemed to have quite a happy mood about her. Leontius couldn't help but cast glances and longer looks at her, in a manner not all that unlike what she was doing earlier with him. He began to wonder. Did he find her beautiful? He thought on it, thinking it potentially odd that a human- or undead- could find a monster, someone of an entirely different species, beautiful. In the end, he came to one conclusion.
Yes, indeed, he found her to be beautiful, very much so. Her fluffy fur, pure white as the snow outside. Her adorably floppy ears, slightly curved petite horns, cute little fangs peeking out from her lips… and most gripping of all, her red eyes, both piercing and captivating at the same time.
Perhaps more than just his taste in food had changed over the lifetimes he'd lived, and perhaps finding such things attractive may be seen as odd to other undead, but he didn't care. This beautiful, wonderful woman had done so much for him. She was the kindest anyone had ever been to him, gave back so much to him, and most incredible of all, he was her hero. He'd done his part to keep the Underground and its people safe, but if he never got recognition for that, he was perfectly satisfied. Toriel's admiration was more than enough.
Leontius simply sat, that same pleased smile from earlier making its appearance once more, his chest again playing host to that rising warmth as he steadily gazed at the woman across from him.
Toriel eventually finished the last of her meal and set her plates aside, neatly wiping her mouth with a napkin and setting it back on her lap once she was done. She finally looked back up to see Leontius' dreamy and slightly unfocused gaze, the man looking quite pleased as he sat back in his chair. She gave him a slightly amused look. "Well, you certainly look like you enjoyed it. I will have to save that recipe for later."
Leontius seemed to slowly get pulled back to reality after that, no longer just leaned back and looking in Toriel's vague direction. He sat up and leaned forward, setting his hands down and curling them together once again. "Yes, it was fantastic…" He was quiet for a few moments, still not focusing on anything in particular.
Toriel slightly cocked her head at the man's shift in behavior. "Is something on your mind, Leontius? You seem distracted by something."
Leontius' gaze finally shifted to meet Toriel's. He was still not saying anything, nor was he fully facing her. He let out a 'breath' and sat up more, now squarely meeting Toriel's gaze. "Toriel. I wish to ask you something."
Toriel took the napkin off of her lap and set it aside, scooting her chair forward enough for her to rest her elbows on the table, giving Leontius that heavy-lidded look from earlier the whole while. "Ask away, Leontius."
Leontius managed to keep his thoughts in order, still managing to keep eye contact with Toriel. "Do you recall that night we spent in the inn?"
Toriel gave a slight nod, with a simple answer to match. "I do."
Leontius continued, the feeling of the warmth in his body rising again. "You asked me a question, and I did not answer. Do you remember what it was?"
Toriel's look seemed to shift a little as she thought on that, but she soon seemed to recall, and a degree of understanding began to creep in. "I asked you about that 'warmth' you said you felt when you were unconscious, specifically if you felt it any other times."
The warmth was almost too distracting at this point, he felt tingling just under his skin, but he managed to keep his eyes locked right onto Toriel's. "That warmth… it is you. Every time you are near, or you do so much as brush a hand against me, or you speak comforting words to me… I feel it. That warmth, it fills my being, and it is unlike any other. Bonfires, flames, they do not compare."
Toriel didn't seem surprised at all by that. In fact, her smile seemed to grow a little. "Ah. I had suspected that was the case. Ever since I first took your mask off and felt your face, I noticed you were startlingly cold. Every time after that though, even the littlest of touches seemed to affect you in quite the way. And when you did not answer that night, I began to wonder…"
The two shared a quiet moment, and Leontius was the one to eventually break it. "Toriel. Earlier… you made a comment. You said you admire me… that I am a hero to you. Hearing that, it… it made me feel something like never before. Happy, in a kind of completing and fulfilling way. It brought that warmth, and… these feelings…"
Toriel seemed to know where this was going, but she did not interrupt, her smile and gaze never faltering.
"They are… familiar, in a way. I did not recount this to you earlier, but during my journey to Asgore I recalled a memory. It was of my first death, from before everything spiraled into madness. It revealed much to me, such as my name and that I had a family. I was a husband and a father, I had a wife… a child, and…" He ran a hand down his face, now looking away from Toriel.
Toriel's hopeful smile fell at the turn his tale had taken. She knew what he could be implying, his use of 'had' in reference to his family not going unnoticed by her. "Do you believe that they may be… gone? Or perhaps they still live somewhere, up above on the surface?" She knew chances of that would be slim. It had been so long since the surface fell, and from what she could gather not even undead were permanent, there was some way for them to truly pass on.
Leontius was still looking aside into open space, quietly contemplating her words. "I am uncertain. There is a possibility my wife continues on, but I do not have even the foggiest idea about my child, whether I had a son, a daughter, or even how old they would have been when the surface began to fall apart." He lightly shook his head before continuing, his gaze eventually meeting Toriel's once more. "I tried for some time to dredge up anything else about them, any memory, their faces, anything at all… but I could not even manage to feel anything about them, not even my wife. When I tried, all I got was an echo of your warmth and a kind of pull in my mind towards you."
Toriel's somber expression lifted somewhat at that, but Leontius continued before she could say anything.
"I believe I understand my purpose now, defending this place is a large amount of it… but more than that, I want to be a part of something again." He leaned forward once more, his hands curled in front of him again, eyes still locked onto Toriel's. "You... you have been the kindest to me anyone has in so long, you saved me, brought my mind and voice back. You put trust in me, and I have done so to you as well. I want to try to live normally again, to move on from the surface, and all that I left behind. Toriel, would you be willing to join me on that journey?"
"Leontius…" Toriel leaned in as well, giving the man her warm smile as she lightly cupped her fuzzy paws about his hands, her thumbs gently tracing and rubbing close to his wrists. "...I would love to, very much so."
Leontius relaxed at that, not realizing he'd been tensed up in the first place. He returned Toriel's smile, his expression more or less matching hers as he shifted his hands to be holding hers individually. "Then we will weather whatever this world throws at us, together." The two shared a quiet moment, both savoring the feeling of being able to connect with someone, after so long.
Leontius' expression gained a hint of amusement as a thought came to him. "It is rather funny; on my way here I realized what I was headed to, a dinner with a woman I fancy. I was nervous at first but rationalized it was not what I was making it out to be. Then you told me of Asriel's absence, and I saw the atmosphere you had created for us to eat in…"
Toriel looked about somewhat guiltily, taking in the setting she'd put together. "Well… it was not entirely on accident. I have had my eye on you for a bit, and after Asriel left I realized I just created an opportunity. I decided I would act on it tonight, but…" She squeezed Leontius' hands a bit tighter and looked him in the eyes once more. "...you beat me to it. And as far as first dates go, I would say this was a good one."
A brief look of understanding flashed across Leontius' expression. "Ah, that is what your people call them then, 'dates.' We will have to come up with plans for another date at some point, perhaps after I return from the surface tomorrow?"
Toriel nodded slightly at the suggestion. "I will be looking forward to it. Do you know how long you will be up there?"
It took Leontius a bit of silent calculating at that, idly stroking a thumb against the inside of Toriel's palm as he did so. "It depends on where that section of the barrier exits to on the mountain. Ebott is quite tall and steep, so if I come out lower at the base it will take me a good few hours of climbing to get to the hole near the peak."
Toriel contemplated the man's answer, letting out a low 'hmm' just before she knew what to say. "Well, if it takes you that long I will likely have picked up Asriel and come back here by then. Earlier, and I may still be at Asgore's home or somewhere in between. I am sure we will figure it out though, the Underground is a small place, after all."
Her mention of Asriel brought the boy to the forefront of Leontius' thoughts once more. "So… what of Asriel? If we will be seeing each other, we will have to tell him about it at some point or another."
Toriel didn't seem worried in the least about Asriel, a hint of confidence in her voice as she spoke. "That is true, but I think telling him will probably go smoothly. He seems to be a bit more… mature. On top of that, he likes you, so the idea that you could become a part of our family may be something he would enjoy."
Leontius was left quiet after that last bit. He couldn't help but look away from the woman holding onto him. True, he wanted to be a part of something again, part of a family, but… "Toriel, I would love nothing more than to be a part of this family, but… I have little to offer. No money, no employment, a meager property, an assortment of junk in a box, and no practical skills outside swinging a sword and casting some magic. I am a man who cannot provide, cannot support-"
As Leontius went on, Toriel slowly began to grip his hands tighter. Her stern voice interrupted him, catching his attention once more. "Leontius." She looked at him with that same gaze that could perturb whole groups of monsters and even a king. Leontius found himself slightly agape, only able to listen when she continued. "Do not worry yourself with things like material wealth or property, not now. You have far more important matters to deal with. Focus on using what you have and what you know right now to just keep everyone safe from dangerous surfacers, and you can worry about things like money later." She let out a sigh, and her expression and tone softened considerably. "Okay?"
Leontius nodded at that. "You are right, I… was getting ahead of myself, letting doubts get to me."
"It is not a bad thing to keep the future in mind, but you have enough on your plate right now as it is, and when it does come down to it, you will not be figuring things out alone. Besides, I had money in my drawer, Asgore had a courier deliver enough money for me and Asriel to live here, and I have some plans for the future as well. We will be more than fine." She briefly cast her gaze about the table and the dishes arrayed about it. "Speaking of plates, let us clear off this table, shall we?"
vvv
Leontius was next to the table re-equipping his armored traveling set and gear belt while Toriel was in the kitchen setting dishes in the sink to soak for later cleaning. He was just about to finish up by re-attaching his sheathed claymore to his side when he heard the faucet in the kitchen cut out. Turning around he caught sight of Toriel coming in from the kitchen, drying her hands off with some small conjured flames.
She snuffed out the magical fires as she approached Leontius, getting close and gently laying her left hand on his chest while her right adjusted and flattened out a somewhat wrinkled part of his coat. "So when will you be leaving for the surface tomorrow?" His coat fixed, she rested her right hand on his chest as well while she looked up at him.
Leontius couldn't help but smile at her proximity, he felt like a pleasing fire had been lit within him. "I will likely leave first thing in the morning, I have some things I would like to attend to other than climbing a mountain all day." He slipped his arms around her and drew her into a somewhat loose embrace, his hands just above the small of her back. "That includes spending the time planning our date, of course. First thing when I return."
Toriel gave the man a pleased smile and rested her head against his chest. "I will be waiting eagerly." She shot him a glance out of the corner of her eye. "You stay safe up there, Leontius. Do not fall and hurt yourself or anything, alright? I have no issue healing you, but I cannot bear seeing you injured."
Leontius lightly set his head atop hers, his chin resting just between her horns. "I will do my best, Toriel."
Toriel let out a pleased and breathy sounding "Good" as she closed her eyes sunk further into the embrace, and Leontius too shut his eyes and enjoyed the close physical interaction. Both of them had been starved of another's touch for far too long, so it went without saying between them that they wanted to prolong it.
Toriel's ear was to his chest and she heard no heartbeat, felt no rise-and-fall of his breath, but she could tell his cold form was warming thanks to her body heat. She very much doubted whatever he was feeling was actual heat, but either way, she was simply too taken with finally being held by someone else again. After so long in the Ruins, alone…
The two held the quiet embrace for what felt like hours, the only sounds being the crackling of the fireplace and the winds of Snowdin blowing against the house. In reality, it was only a couple of minutes before Toriel made to lift her head from Leontius' chest, the undead loosening his hold on her and looking her in the eyes once more.
She looked up at him with a quite happy expression. "I hope you enjoyed tonight as much as I did, Leontius."
Leontius gave her one of his rare smiles, one meant for her alone. "Of course I did. The food, the company… it was all perfect. I hope that our next date will be just as good." He briefly tightened his hold on her just a bit for punctuation before he let her go. He picked up his sheathed sword from its leaning position against the chair, reattaching it to his belt and addressing Toriel once more. "It was wonderful spending the evening with you, Toriel. Thank you for having me."
Toriel held her hands before her and clasped them together, her robe's long sleeves partially obscuring them. "It was my pleasure, sincerely."
The two went to the door, bade each other farewell, and Leontius was out the door into Snowdin once again.
Toriel lingered near the door for a few moments before going to her chair by the fireplace, picking up the book she'd been reading earlier before she'd started preparing dinner. She fell into the chair with the book on her lap, a happy sigh escaping her lips. She sat there for a good while, her mind a whirl of upbeat thoughts and emotions. She was just too distracted to start reading again, so she sat and absently gazed into the flames, her thoughts squarely set elsewhere, on a certain someone else.
(28)
